Meryl Streep 'cut a car-sized hole in the fence,' fled fire through a neighbor's yard, nephew says

Meryl Streep took matters into her ain hands — virtually — arsenic wildfires rampaged crossed Los Angeles County earlier this month.

According to nephew Abe Streep, the Oscar-winning histrion sprang into enactment aft a fallen histrion blocked her driveway arsenic she tried to evacuate her location the time aft wind-stoked fires broke retired crossed the region. In his harrowing relationship of the historical fires successful Altadena, Pacific Palisades and Hollywood that was published Tuesday successful New York Magazine, Streep wrote that his aunt, 75, borrowed a neighbor’s ligament cutters and “cut a car-size spread successful the fence” they shared.

The “Devil Wears Prada” star, “determined to marque it out,” past drove done her neighbor’s gait to escape, her nephew recalled.

Meryl Streep was 1 of a fistful of country residents whose experiences with the fires — which person claimed 29 lives and destroyed much than 15,000 structures — were told successful the New York story. The younger Streep besides spoke to a longtime West Altadena resident, a Palisades autochthonal and schoolteacher, histrion Haley Joel Osment and his aunt’s “Only Murders successful the Building” co-star Martin Short, among others.

Short, who knew “right away” successful the aboriginal years of his vocation that helium would unrecorded successful Pacific Palisades and bought determination successful 1984, told Abe Streep helium “will decidedly enactment successful my home,” contempt 1 of his sons losing a house. “The Sixth Sense” and “Blink Twice” prima Osment said helium and his parents mislaid their homes successful the Eaton fire.

In 1 of the astir destructive firestorms to deed Los Angeles County successful caller memory, astatine slightest 130,000 Angelenos fled for information — with celebrities among those reeling from the devastation.

As of Tuesday morning, the Palisades, Eaton and Hughes fires successful L.A. County were 95%, 99% and 98% contained, respectively, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Containment of the Border 2 occurrence successful San Diego County was listed astatine 74%. No homes burned successful Hollywood’s Sunset fire, which was afloat contained connected Jan. 9.

The rainstorm successful caller days brought much-needed moisture to Southern California and invited alleviation to fire-weary Angelenos. Ryan Kittell, a National Weather Service meteorologist successful Oxnard, said Tuesday that portion the magnitude of rainfall wasn’t capable to forestall occurrence play from extending into February, “This was a mostly beneficial rain.

“I deliberation we dodged a bullet,” helium said. “It helped with the firefights and decidedly gives america a interruption from occurrence weather.”

Times unit writer Grace Toohey contributed to this report.