Flea, the bassist for the rock band The Red Hot Chili Peppers, lost his house in a fast-spreading wildfire that ripped through California’s ritzy Malibu area yesterday, local media reported.
Actors Matthew McConaughey and Minnie Driver also were among the thousands who were evacuated as the out-of-control fire – which is now subsiding – destroyed 49 homes and damaged another 27.
Six firefighters suffered minor injuries battling the flames, which are expected to be 50 percent contained by today.
The blaze, feeding on brush and trees and driven by the dry Santa Ana winds began shortly before 3:30 a.m. near Malibu Lake on state park land and burned roughly 4,500 acres in about by mid-afternoon.
The fire blew downhill toward the Pacific Ocean and jumped the Pacific Coast Highway, spreading small spot fires.
About 1,700 firefighters battled the blaze along with 30 aircraft – containing about 25 percent of the fire by midday.
The cause of the fire had not been determined.