The TV chef shared that her real estate agent called her to tell her that her home had survived the blazes in Malibu
Sandra Lee Says She Feels ‘Guilty’ Malibu Home Survived Fires After She Tearfully Told Fans It Was ‘Gone’. Photo: Sandra Lee/Instagram
Sandra Lee is opening up about her Malibu home surviving the destructive Palisades Fire — and the guilt that she feels along with it.
In an Instagram post on Monday, Jan. 13, the cookbook author and TV host, 58, shared a photo of herself standing in front of her house alongside a lengthy caption. Lee has been sharing updates since she first believed her house was destroyed on Jan. 8.
“I was able to go to Malibu late yesterday. It is with a heavy heart for my local community, yet the most shocked and grateful heart I share my home, Avalon, still stands,” she said. “I could not believe my eyes to be one of 10 in my neighborhood of homes still there. I do not know how. I can only assume it was the quick action of our firefighters.”
Lee shared that she was in “total disbelief” after finding out her home was still standing since the Palisades Fire leveled portions of Malibu.
“I feel guilty for being a part of a bubble of these homes spared. I have such sadness for the people who have lost their lives, and I grieve for the families who have lost their loved ones,” she continued. “There are no words to express my emotion as these fires still burn out of control. My heart remains with everyone in Los Angeles, my numerous neighbors, and my two most wonderful girlfriends whose homes are gone.”
Lee ended her post by thanking the firefighters and other first responders who worked to protect Los Angeles from the fires.
“I hope you join me today to say a prayer for LA and our communities. Thank you for keeping all of us in your thoughts,” she finished the post. “For me, I will thank God every day.”
Lee first heard the home may have survived when she received a call from her real estate agent saying that the Malibu home, as well as some of her neighbors’ homes, were still standing, she shared in a Thursday, Jan. 9 Instagram post.
Craig Barritt/Getty; Sandra Lee Online/Instagram
In a previous Instagram Reel shared on Wednesday, Jan. 8, Lee said that her house had burned down.
“I’m in a hotel. I don’t have a home anymore. My house is gone. It’s literally gone. I’ve been crying all night,” she began the tearful video, adding that she would want to rebuild it. “Thank God everybody is safe.”
Beachfront homes go up in flames along Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu on Jan. 7. David Crane/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty
The destructive Palisades fire first began in the L.A. neighborhood of Pacific Palisades on Jan. 7, and has since burned more than 23,700 acres with 14% containment, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. On the other side of L.A. County, the Eaton fire also began on Jan. 7 and has already burned more than 14,000 acres and is now 33% contained. Additional fires have also sprung up around the Southern California region.
Many celebrities have shared that they have lost their homes in the fires, including Billy Crystal, Anna Faris, Paris Hilton, Candy Spelling, Cameron Mathison, Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, Ricki Lake, and Anthony Hopkins.