Powerball winner Edwin Castro’s home in Malibu was left in ruins by the Palisade Fire and is just one of several celebrity homes that have gone up in flames.
The 31-year-old won the $2 billion jackpot in November 2022 and used his winnings to buy a pair of luxury houses for himself and a five-bedroom, five-bath home for his parents in Altadena for $4 million.
Yet, as the Palisades Fire rages on, Castro’s impressive $3.8 million Malibu home was scorched into a devastating pile of smoldering concrete and wood.
Pillars of concrete and planks of wood were all that was left where the 1,541-square-foot home, featuring two bedrooms and two bathrooms, once stood.
As waves lapped over the rubble of Castro’s home, which the lottery winner bought in September 2023, the fires continue to threaten homes across the area.
Many celebrities have already shared mournful announcements of their own devastating losses.
Paris Hilton watched as her $8.4 million Malibu beach home ‘burned to the ground on live TV.’
The 43-year-old TV personality made an emotional return to the charred remains of the property and shared a heartbreaking video on Instagram on Thursday.
Left in ‘shock’, Paris wrote: ‘I’m standing here in what used to be our home, and the heartbreak is truly indescribable.’
‘When I first saw the news, I was in complete shock – I couldn’t process it. But now, standing here and seeing it with my own eyes, it feels like my heart has been shattered into a million pieces.’
The star expressed that the home ‘wasn’t just a place to live – It was where we dreamed, laughed, and created the most beautiful memories as a family.’
‘It was where Phoenix’s little hands made art that I’ll cherish forever, where love and life filled every corner. To see it reduced to ashes… it’s devastating beyond words.’
Hilton added that her heart continues to break ‘knowing that this isn’t just my story.’
Actor Jeff Bridges was also recently revealed to have joined the growing list of Hollywood figures whose homes have been destroyed after his Malibu family home was left in ashes.
A heartbreaking moment saw General Hospital star Cameron Mathison in tears as he recounted returning to the ruins of his California home.
‘I can’t sleep. I’ve lost everything I own. I have this hoodie I’m wearing, a pair of pants and two pairs of sneakers – that’s it,’ he told GMA on Thursday. ‘But obviously it’s important to focus on what we have and what we can be grateful for.’
Actor Adam Brody and Gossip Girl star Leighton Meester also fell victim to the wildfires after their home in the Pacific Palisades was reduced to ruins.
Pictures revealed the collapsed roof, flames tearing through the rooms and black smoke pouring out of the broken windows.
Mandy Moore, Cary Elwes, James Wood, Billy Crystal and Ben Affleck also all had their homes go up in flames as the devastating fires continue to rip through the area.
Mel Gibson recalled returning to ‘nothing’ after his $14.5 million Malibu mansion burned down while he was filming a podcast with Joe Rogan in Texas.
While he was filming the podcast, Gibson said he knew his neighborhood was on fire and wondered if his home was still standing.
Mel began: ‘Obviously, it’s kind of devastating. It’s emotional.’
He added: ‘I was doing the Rogan podcast… And [I was] kind of ill at ease while we were talking, because I knew my neighborhood was on fire, so I thought, I wonder if my place is still there.
‘But when I got home, sure enough, it wasn’t there. I went home and I said to myself, well, at least I haven’t got any of those pesky plumbing problems anymore.
‘I had a lot of personal things there that, you know, I can’t get back…
‘All kinds of stuff, everything from photographs to files to, you know, you know, just personal things that I had from over the years, and clothing, you know, pretty cool stuff, you know, but you know that can all be replaced.
‘These are only things. And the good, the good news is that, you know, those in my family and those I love are all well, and we’re all happy and healthy and out of harm’s way, that’s all I can care about, really.’
The devastation comes just months after Castro bumped up security at his Hollywood Hills home, with reports of drones flying over the estate, after his winnings were called into question.
Just last year in September, after 43-year-old Jose Rivera accused Castro of stealing the winning Powerball ticket, a LA County Judge dismissed the case allowing him to keep his winnings.
‘Players are solely responsible for securing their Tickets against theft, loss, damage, or destruction,’ the judge said in documents obtained by TMZ.
‘The person in possession of a winning lottery ticket is the presumptive owner/winner.’
Rivera reported to the Pasadena Police Department that Castro ‘stole’ the winning ticket from him.
Police and California Lottery investigators tried to find out if the supposed crime took place, but he has since been charged with filing a false police report.
Rivera claimed that the ticket was stolen by his former landlord ‘Reggie’, also known as Urachi F. Romero.
Romero told The New York Post that he saw Rivera with the winning ticket on November 7, the same night he claimed to purchase it from Joe’s Service Center in Altadena, California.
He also claimed that he later received threats from Rivera but has insisted that he didn’t steal the ticket and that he doesn’t know Castro.
Castro had opted for the lump sum, which came to $997 million after tax, after his win in 2022.
He bought the now-burned-down beachfront home in 2023 along the Pacific Coast Highway.
The home was part of his incredible million real estate portfolio, which included a $25.5 million estate in the Hollywood Hills, the $4 million Malibu home and 4,361-square-foot home for his parents in Altadena, which remained unscathed from the Eaton Fire.
The raging fires have killed at least ten people and burned thousands of structures, officials said.
Many of the towering fires that began Tuesday were fueled by powerful Santa Ana winds, which gusted to more than 70 mph in some spots.
The winds dropped Thursday, but the National Weather Service warned that even the reduced gusts could still spread fire rapidly.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said California has deployed more than 1,400 firefighting personnel to battle the blazes. Oregon, Washington, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona dispatched teams to assist.
AccuWeather, a private company that provides data on weather and its impact, increased its estimate of the damage and economic loss to $135 billion to $150 billion. Government officials have not yet released any damage estimates.