Jennifer Garner says she ‘lost a friend’ in wildfires and now feels ‘guilty’ in own home
by Admin ·
During an interview in Los Angeles on Friday, the “Last Thing He Told Me” star, who said she’s lived in or around the now-destroyed Pacific Palisades neighborhood for 25 years, told MSNBC’s Katy Tur she lost a friend in the wildfires.
“I did lose a friend, and for our church, it’s really tender so I don’t feel like we should talk about it yet. I did lose a friend who did not get out in time” Garner told MSNBC’s Tur, who hails from LA.
The Palisades Fire, which started Tuesday and has burned more than 21,000 acres, becoming the most destructive in Los Angeles history. It was 11% contained as of Saturday morning. The wildfires, fanned by strong winds, have killed at least 11 people and displaced tens of thousands this week.
“My heart bleeds for my friends. I mean, I can think of 100 families, and there are 5,000 homes lost. I can, without even, I could just write out a list of 100 friends who lost their homes,” Garner said.
Live updates: LA wildfires cause historic destruction; winds predicted to build again
She participated in the interview in conjunction with chef José Andrés and World Central Kitchen, the global non-profit that provides relief to victims of natural disasters and is providing relief to Angelenos affected by the crisis.
“I feel almost guilty walking through my house,” Garner told Tur during the live interview. “You know, what can I do? How can I help? What can I offer? What do I have to offer with these hands and these walls and the safety that I have?”
Garner stressed to Tur that “this is not some far away place that you cannot reach,” telling the MSNBC host that her best friend’s house was down the street and the “street that we run down on 5Ks.”
“God bless our firefighters, this is where the fire truck goes on the Fourth of July parade,” Garner said, appearing to hold back tears. “This is a neighborhood.”
Tur also revealed that Garner lost her Methodist church in the blaze, telling the actress and celebrity chef Andrés that she sang in the choir and did the bells during her childhood. “It’s gone, what did it mean to you,” Tur asked Garner.
“It’s my family’s church. It’s where my kids went to Sunday school, we lit the advent candle there a couple of weeks ago,” Garner responded, calling it “a gathering point for our entire community.”
