Mandy Moore recently detailed how her Altadena, California home was significantly impacted by the devastating Eaton Fire that occurred in January. On February 11, the 40-year-old actress, known for her role in “This Is Us,” shared on Instagram that the contents of her home are “a near total loss” due to their close proximity to the fires and other burning structures. Earlier, on January 9, Moore had expressed relief that the “main part” of the house was “still standing,” but now she recognized the severity of the outcome. In her recent post, she remarked, “Pretty much everything will have to be disposed of…maybe even the walls too.” Moore explained that the family would not be returning home anytime soon as the site and the surrounding neighborhood require extensive sorting, cleaning, and eventual rebuilding.
Moore also recounted the harrowing day she, along with her husband Taylor Goldsmith and their three children—August “Gus,” 3; Oscar “Ozzie,” 2; and Louise “Lou” Everett, who is 4 months old—had to evacuate in anticipation of the fire. “That day, Tuesday, January 7th, is seared in my brain,” she admitted, noting that her eldest child’s school had been canceled due to the winds. While she was nursing her daughter, her brother-in-law, Griffin Goldsmith, called to inform her that his family was evacuating and advised her to do the same.
Mandy Moore recalled, “I calmly walked downstairs and relayed this to my husband and without skipping a beat, we promptly packed up the kids (in their pjs), our dog, and scrambled to find our 3 cats as the power went out.” She described the terror of that evening vividly, mentioning Taylor’s struggle to manually open their garage doors amidst the chaos. The winds reached 60 mph, and ash began to fall around them as the sky glowed ominously red.
As they raced across town through fallen trees and debris, they finally reached the safety of a friend’s home. Overnight, she anxiously monitored the evacuation zone, which was rapidly closing in on their little eight-block radius. By 4 a.m., their home was confirmed to be in danger. “All the while, tossing and turning with a stomach-churning anxiety I’ve never experienced before,” she expressed, listing the family members’ sleeping arrangements as the storm raged outside.
Tragically, by the next morning, the Moore’s worst fears were confirmed when two neighbors reported that their house had been destroyed. “We held each other, processed the unimaginable,” she stated emotionally, highlighting the sheer shock of the moment. The couple then set out to gather clothing, admitting that they had taken nothing with them as they fully expected to return home the following day. It was only hours later that they discovered the extent of the devastation on their property, although the main structure was miraculously still standing. Moore lamented, however, that their “entire community was gone.”
In her post, Moore sought assistance and advice for processing this trauma, stating, “My brain and heart are so deeply broken.” She reflected on how, despite the structure being intact, she was grappling with deeply emotional questions: “Yes we are exceedingly lucky to technically still have the structure of a home. But also… do we still have a home?” Her thoughts were clear—while home is fundamentally wherever her family is, the absence of a sanctuary and safe space is profoundly unsettling.
Mandy Moore explained that she and her husband were not actively seeking to move when they discovered the Altadena home during the summer of 2020. They felt an instinctive kinship with the property, which they knew would be where they raised their children. It was only two weeks later that they found out they were expecting their first child. “It took us 4 years to slowly and painstakingly restore, remodel, and make it our own,” she recounted, adding a touch of humor about the irony of buying the home without children and then moving in with two—and another on the way. With the milestone of being “weeks away from finally being done with everything when the fires hit,” Moore expressed profound sorrow and disbelief.
While expressing gratitude for still having a physical structure, she acknowledged the broader tragedy: “Real human beings across this town, regardless of their jobs or socioeconomic status, lost the life they’d come to know and count on in an instant.” She directed her compassion towards others impacted by the fires, stating, “My whole heart is with them. Every one of them.” In closing, Moore expressed hope that the community and her family’s cherished home could again regain its former joy, although it would take time and likely evolve into a new normal. “This place, our home and the town itself, was our dream, and I hope in time it will feel like that again… just a slightly different one,” she concluded.
For those looking to support the victims of the L.A. fires, resources and information are available to understand how to lend assistance.
