Actor James Woods reveals alarming move by major insurance company 4 months prior to Palisades Fire

At around 10:30 a.m. local time Tuesday, a fire began in the Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, according to USA Today.

Later in the day, further blazes broke out in Eaton Canyon and Sylmar, and the rapid spread resulted in the evacuation of thousands and the destruction of many homes.

Officials are investigating how these fires commenced, but low humidity, drought conditions, and winds that reached up to 100 miles per hour encouraged them to gather intensity quickly.

As of 8:24 a.m. Wednesday, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reported that 2,925 acres of land had been burned.

The wildfires gained international media attention and plenty of social commentary, and a post from actor James Woods gained traction.

Woods, who has made more headlines for his concerning viewpoints than his film career in recent years, responded to a comment on X, formerly Twitter, that expressed hope that insurance companies would treat customers affected by the disaster better than those who experienced devastating flooding during Hurricane Helene.

Watch now: Can the government create hurricanes?

Woods wasn't exactly confident this would happen.

"Actually one of the major insurances companies canceled all the policies in our neighborhood about four months ago," he said.

Woods' neighborhood, which the actor showed was seriously affected by the fires, isn't the only one to have either seen home insurance coverage pulled or policy prices rising amid the growing threat of wildfires. Numerous communities have been left unprotected, while some residents are moving elsewhere because of the lack of available or affordable home insurance.

Two houses from us… pic.twitter.com/5lx6kMqdmN
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) January 7, 2025

Some across the country in these situations are turning to low-regulated and expensive "non-admitted insurance" options, which one insurance broker described as being known as "kind of a dirty word" decades ago.

If home insurance coverage remains impossible to obtain for residents, either because of availability or affordability, then homeowners risk losing hundreds of thousands of dollars if their property is damaged or destroyed by a wildfire.

🗣️ What would you do if natural disasters were threatening your home?

🔘 Move somewhere else 🌎

🔘 Reinforce my home 🏠

🔘 Nothing 🤷

🔘 This is happening already 😬

🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind

In 2024, California recorded 8,024 wildfires, with 1,050,012 acres burned and 1,716 structures destroyed. Unfortunately, these events don't look like they will stop occurring anytime soon.

With increasing global temperatures as a result of human-caused pollution making wildfires — as well as other extreme weather events — longer, stronger, and more likely, there seems to be little respite coming for residents of the Golden State.

In addition to the risk to life, health, livelihoods, and the possibility of displacement, a lack of a financial safety net through insurance can be devastating for people who simply want to rebuild their lives.

You can stay updated on Los Angeles' wildfires with the help of local fire and police agencies on social media and heed all evacuation orders if and when they come.