Celebrities Who Have Lost Their Homes To Natural Disasters

Natural disasters such as fires, hurricanes, and earthquakes shake the core of humanity. To that end, a whole host of celebs and VIPs have lost their homes, or shall we say mansions, to the ravages of mother nature. In fact, the deadly 2018 Woolsey Fire in Malibu and surrounding areas took the lives of people and destroyed countless properties, including the home of Miley Cyrus. Luckily, Cyrus was filming out of the country when her Paradise Cove estate was lost to the blaze. According to Radar, Cyrus purchased the modern, two-story home for a sweet $2.525 million (it was listed at $2.75 million), but sold it for a loss at $1.7 to songwriter Matthew Wilder after the fire. 

However, it all worked out in the end as the songstress purchased another pad without any history of a fire. In fact, according to Dirt, Cyrus bought an estate in Hidden Hills during the pandemic for $4.9 million, but after some extensive remodeling, she also unloaded this home for a hefty profit. But, let's keep it in perspective: Cyrus also has homes in Tennessee and Studio City, California. Her killer Hidden Hills estate was featured in Architectural Digest, boasting plenty of photos. And while we can't say where the "Wrecking Ball" singer is staying now, we're sure it's somewhere posh and perfectly suited to her personality.

Shannen Doherty also lost her house to the Woolsey Fire in Malibu. The star, who enjoyed enormous fame in both "Beverly Hills, 90210" and "Charmed," was devastated over the loss of her home — and the misfortune doesn't end there. Unfortunately, Doherty has also suffered other tragedies, as she has been diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer as well. Plus, she got into legal proceedings with her insurance agency after the deadly fire. In fact, according to Page Six, back in February 2019, Doherty was awarded $6.346 million in damages after suing her insurance agency, State Farm, for refusing to repair her home. 

Specifically, Doherty sued the agency for failure to give adequate coverage to her decimated Malibu property. The final payout includes money that covered personal property, damages to the actual home, and emotional distress, in addition to her attorney's fees. Apparently, Doherty's attorney, Devin McRae, was pleased by the victory. Via People, he said "We are happy they saw the case the way we do. This should send a message to institutions that they should not forget they are dealing with human beings."

"Baywatch" actor David Chokachi also lost his celeb home in the Malibu Woolsey Fire. He posted to Instagram to express his sadness at the unfortunate event. "Sad to lose a magical house, full of memories we will have forever. Point Dume will rise and rebuild, even stronger," he shared. "Love and strength to all our Malibu family. And special thanks to the firefighters and all the Point Dume warriors who have fought tirelessly to protect our community."

Chokachi was also an actor on MTV's "Beyond the Break" and the series "Witchblade." While on "Baywatch," the star got to show off his perfect bod and SoCal tan, and he found that transitioning to "Beyond the Break" allowed him to surf and bring attention to issues affecting the ocean. In an interview with The Hollywood Times, Chokachi also discussed his role in the movie "Last Call in the Dog House" — yet another in his claims to fame! We assume he has moved on from the Malibu fire in typical "Baywatch" survivor fashion.

"Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Camille Grammer had a real life problem happen when the Woolsey Fire ravaged her Beverly Hills-neighboring home located in Malibu, as noted by People. Camille saw firsthand how surreal a natural disaster can be when her mansion was enveloped in flames during the inferno.

In 2016, the former Playboy model spent $3.3 million on the property and then sold it to an LLC at a $2 million loss — but all is not lost! Camille and her husband, David Meyer, now share a beachfront home that, according to The New York Post, is worth a whopping $6.5 million. Indeed this housewife has lived in the best of homes throughout Beverly Hills, Malibu, and beyond. In fact, while Camille was still married to "Frasier" star Kelsey Grammer, she reportedly lived in one of the priciest homes out of all the "Real Housewives." However, home is where the heart is, and this is most evident per Camille's heartfelt Instagram post after the fires in 2018. "My family home will remain in my heart as I start to rebuild anew wherever that will be," she revealed. "My heart is with my family and friends."

Kim Basinger is yet another famous actress who lost her home in the Woolsey Fire in 2018. The power of a fast-moving fire cannot be taken for granted; a blaze can incinerate everything in its path and leave nothing behind. Such was the destiny of the gorgeous "9 ½ Weeks," "8 Mile" and "L.A. Confidential" star, according to the Daily Mail. Basinger's daughter, Ireland Baldwin (with Basinger's ex, Alec Baldwin), hurried over to her mother's Malibu home during the ordeal but found resistance from the police. 

Ireland, a model and the only daughter of Alec and Basinger, wrote a series of accounts of her frustrating ordeal on Twitter (via Entertainment Tonight). "'So many friends and friends and family of friends are losing everything they own in these fires," she lamented. "My mom and her partner lost their Malibu home in #Woolseyfire and thankfully, they are both safe."

Sir Richard Branson's extravagantly luxurious compound on his own island in the Caribbean called Necker Island has endured the wrath of mother nature twice as well. First, in 2011 a tropical storm created lightning which struck the house and left it in shambles. According to BBC, Branson said the fire "completely destroyed" the home. Then in 2017, tragedy struck Branson's resort again when the Category 5 Hurricane Irma ripped through the property, leaving rubble in its wake. "We felt the full force of the strongest hurricane ever in the Atlantic Ocean," Branson penned in an essay for Virgin. "But we are very fortunate to have a strong cellar built into Necker's Great House and were very lucky all of our teams who stayed on Island during the storm are safe and well."

Since then, the damaged property has been rebuilt and is even more gorgeous. Is that even possible for such an incredible estate? One of the 50 British Virgin Islands, Necker Island is 74 acres of phenomenal beauty owned entirely by Branson. It is even up for rent at various times throughout the year for those who can stay for a minimum stay of seven nights! According to the Virgin Limited Website, your stay even includes all your meals and drinks along with a dedicated staff (plus much more, of course).

Rachael Ray was at home with her husband, John Cusimano, in Lake Luzerne, New York when a fire broke out in her chimney in 2020. According to The Hollywood Reporter, a neighbor warned them that a blaze had taken over their roof and they quickly left. "We lost a huge part of the physical evidence that we exist, all of the things we had created — paintings and pictures and music, plus everything we were gifted over the years or collected together as a couple; paintings that were made for us and letters that were written to us," Ray lamented.

Ray was recording her show at home during the COVID-19 pandemic when the fire started, and continued to film in her guest house that still remained after the main structure was destroyed. "It was taken down to the foundation basement," she continued. "When I was shooting the beginning of season 15, I was watching — from out of the window of what used to be our guesthouse for friends — them truck away our lives."