Patrick O’Neal, the son of the late Ryan O’Neal, said there is “just ash and bricks” left after his father’s Malibu, Calif., home burned in the Pacific Palisades Fire.
Returning to his home on Monday, Jan. 13 for the first time since the wildfires, Patrick, 57, tried to make sense of the mess he once called home.
“I’m trying to figure out where I am in the house,” Patrick O’Neal told a Getty Images photographer, per CBS News. “I think I’m standing in my dad’s bathroom. To be honest, I don’t even know what I’m looking for I guess I’m just trying to make sense of it. There’s nothing left, just ash and bricks — there’s nothing.”
Patrick previously confirmed in a video statement uploaded to social media on Friday, Jan. 10 that their family’s residence went up in flames during the recent Los Angeles wildfires.
“I wanna send out my prayers to the many that have suffered tremendous loss caused by these fires in Los Angeles county. Thousands have lost their homes. Our family has been impacted as well, as we have lost our family home in Malibu,” the sports broadcaster said in a joint post shared with FanDuel Sports Network West.
As the video cut to different images of the devastation, Patrick thanked those who have been supportive.
“Thankfully, our family is safe. The dogs are, too,” he continued, asking those who could donate to people in need, to please do so.
While sharing post-wildfire updates to his Instagram account, Patrick showed one prized possession he managed to take with him before fleeing the property.
“Been with me since 1990 – without question coming with [me] in any evacuation,” he captioned a photo of a hockey stick signed by Wayne Gretzky.
In his Instagram Stories, Patrick showed the remains of his family’s home being watered down with a hose following the fires. A mini rainbow could be seen as the stream of water flowed.
Patrick’s half-sister, Tatum O’Neal, also shared on Threads that their father’s home was destroyed. “It’s the saddest ever so sad I could cry. My father’s house is gone Malibu gone,” Tatum, 61, wrote.
The house was destroyed just over a year after O’Neal’s death. The Love Story actor died in December 2023. In addition to Patrick and Tatum, O’Neal was also father to sons Griffin and Redmond.
The Pacific Palisades fires began Tuesday, Jan. 7, and is believed to be the costliest wildfire in United States history, per The Wall Street Journal.
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Since it began, the flames have burned more than 23,700 acres, and is only 14 % contained as of Monday, Jan. 13, according to Cal Fire. It grew so large that it stretched from the Pacific Coast Highway and threatened parts of the San Fernando Valley.
Click here to learn more about how to help the victims of the L.A. fires.
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