Pacific Palisades’ ₹10,375 Crore 18-Bedroom Mansion Destroyed in Los Angeles Wildfire

Los Angeles Wildfire: The most extravagant house in Pacific Palisades, estimated at $125 million (approximately ₹10,770 crore), has been destroyed after angry fires swept through Los Angeles, as reported by DailyMail.com.

According to the report, "exclusive photos" it has obtained show that the 18-bedroom mansion owned by Austin Russell, CEO of Luminar Technologies, has turned to dust, except for the smoldering shell.

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HT.com cannot independently authenticate the information

They apparently show the extent of the destruction, revealing exposed beams and heaps of rubble in what used to be lush gardens; a mansion on rent for about $450,000 (₹3.74 crore approximately) a month achieved notoriety in 2023 for being featured in HBO's Succession as the luxury pad of the Roy siblings in Season 4.

Most Expensive House in Pacific Palisades

According to DailyMail.com, Russell's property was endowed with extravagant features such as a Nobu-designed chef's kitchen, a 20-seater cinema, temperature-controlled wine cellar, and a retractable roof for stargazing.

Parts of the mansion, including the fire pit, have survived, but most of the interiors have been reduced to ashes, including the retinal scanner outside the master bedroom and the two panic rooms.

All luxury amenities such as the rooftop deck, spa, and a state-of-the-art car gallery complete with a turntable, which also served as a ballroom, lay in misery.

Finger-pointing begins

Accusations flew as Los Angeles firefighters finally gained some ground on Friday in the battle against blazes that have tied up Los Angeles in chaos, with officials blaming each other for making the crisis worse because of the actions the city took.

Los Angeles fire chief Kristin Crowley pointed her finger at city leaders for slashing her department's budget, thereby inhibiting the firefight.

“Yes, it was cut, and it did impact our ability to provide service,” she said in an emotional interview with local television station Fox 11. “They’re not getting what they need to do their jobs.”

However, she also cited budgetary constraints in defending her cuts, which were made under "very tough budgetary times" and never intruded upon the fighting of wildfires. Mayor Karen Bass argued about the cuts, bringing more than $17 million down on the fire department.

In a letter to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, California Governor Gavin Newsom asked them to explain why their hydrants located in fire zones would always run dry. He pointed out a reservoir which, as the LA Times reported, had been closed for repairs when the fires ravaged the area and described the event as "deeply troubling to me and to the community."

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Even as the fires spread through the city, the Democratic governor's letter to President Donald Trump-elect added for his promise of visiting Los Angeles, as the president had condemned the Ko's state's fire prevention efforts.

But these fires are now thought to be the most costly natural disasters to hit Los Angeles since the 1994 Northridge earthquake, which killed 57 people. And it is sunk to its costliest natural disasters in the world.

As estimated by AccuWeather Inc., total damages and economic losses, including uninsured destruction and indirect economic impacts such as lost wages or supply-chain disruptions, range between $135 billion and $150 billion.

If that happens, it will be close to the cost of US$148 billion for the combined damages from the 23 largest wildfires in the USA since 1980, according to US National Centers for Environmental Information records.

Also Read: California Wildfires Live Updates: Costliest in US History at $150 Billion