People have been left in tears over a Los Angeles homeowner’s heartbreaking request to a reporter amid the catastrophic wildfires.

There are currently five fires still burning across the Californian area, with about 10,000 structures thought to have been destroyed and tens of thousands impacted by evacuation orders.

Ten people are confirmed dead so far, with a man having been detained on suspicion of starting the latest Kenneth Fire.

One resident was leaving his Pacific Palisades home by bike when NBC reporter Robert Kovacik asked if there was anything they could do to help him. And in the video shared by NBCLA, the man asks if he can take some of the belongings he had rescued from his home. Take a look:

“You can take these paintings, I guess,” he says, with his arms full of possessions. “I can’t ride with these.”

As sparks fly around in the background, the man had been attempting to get on a bicycle with multiple bags strapped around him and framed paintings in his hand.

With his ‘backyard on fire’, Kovacik assured him he would ‘make sure’ he was reunited with the art as he promised to look after them while the resident fled.

Users commented to say the reporter ‘is a freaking hero’ as they praised his kind act and wrote on TikTok: “Poor guy I have to imagine those paintings have some sentimental value for him.”

The reporter didn’t hesitate to grab the man’s paintings (NBC LA)

With many leaving crying emojis, another said: “You can hear the trembling in his voice when he asked him to take the paintings.”

Others echoed: “The emotion when he asks him to take the paintings! He was probably already grieving them. Poor guy.”

“Why am I crying about NBC helping a man save the paintings that he cherishes?” one wrote.

The largest fires causing this devastation are the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire, while there are also three other fires called Kenneth, Hurst and Lidia.

Thousands have fled their homes (Apu Gomes/Getty Images)

The Kenneth is the newest of the blazes and according to The Independent, the LAPD believe it may have been started intentionally, with a man being arrested yesterday (9 January).

The local fire chief has told the BBC, however, that there is currently no evidence the wildfires across LA have been deliberately sparked.

“Now that the life safety is primarily taken care of, and that we have sufficient resources to assist with that, now they’re able to start digging into the investigation and see what they can discover,” chief David Acuna told Radio 4 Today.

A 67-year-old father has been killed in the LA wildfires after staying behind to wait for his son with cerebral palsy.

According to Los Angeles fire officials, at least ten people have confirmed to have been killed as a result of the wildfires, with five of the victims having died in the Eaton fire, CBS reports.

Retired salesman Anthony Mitchell lived in the California county of Altadena with his son, Justin, who was in his early 20s and bedridden from cerebral palsy, according to daughter Hajime White.

She told The Washington Post that she’d spoken to her father on Wednesday morning (8 January).

“He said, ‘Baby, I’m just letting you know the fire’s broke out, and we’re going to have to evacuate’,” she recounted on Thursday (9 January).

“Then he said, ‘I’ve gotta go — the fire’s in the yard.’”

White claims her father, who used a wheelchair, was waiting for an ambulance because none of the caregivers were available.

His other son, Jordan, lives with the pair, but was in hospital with an infection.

Anthony Mitchell has died in the LA wildfires, his daughter confirmed (Family handout/CBS)

“It’s like a ton of bricks just fell on me,” White told the outlet. She said that Mitchell will leave behind 11 grandkids and 10 great-grandchildren.

“He had nicknames for everybody: Strawberry Shortcake, Marshmallow, Bug. He just went on and on.” she added.

So far, the fires have burned more than 10,000 homes, taking out whole neighbourhoods in the process.

No cause has been identified for the largest fires.

Los Angeles Fire Department chief Kristin Crowley told a press conference: “We are not out of danger. You can see the active fires that are burning with strong winds that are going to continue throughout the night.

“I can tell you and assure you that firefighters and first responders remain focused on protecting lives and property. We urge the public to help us.”

As well as regular civilians, many celebrities’ homes have also been destroyed by the blaze, including Paris Hilton.

Paris Hilton is one of many to have lost their home (Instagram/@parishilton)

After sharing a video of the ruins of her Malibu home, the businesswoman wrote on Instagram: “I’m standing here in what used to be our home, and the heartbreak is truly indescribable.

“When I first saw the news, I was in complete shock – I couldn’t process it. But now, standing here and seeing it with my own eyes, it feels like my heart has shattered into a million pieces.

“This house wasn’t just a place to live – it was where we dreamed, laughed, and created the most beautiful memories as a family.

“It was where [son] Phoenix’s little hands made art that I’ll cherish forever, where love and life filled every corner. To see it reduced to ashes… it’s devastating beyond words.

“What breaks my heart even more is knowing that this isn’t just my story. So many people have lost everything. It’s not just walls and roofs – it’s the memories that made those houses homes. It’s the photos, the keepsakes, the irreplaceable pieces of our lives.”

Oscar-winning actor Anthony Hopkins has issued an important message after reportedly losing his home in the LA wildfires.

The 87-year-old was said to have lost his home in the Pacific Palisades fire, according to The Daily Mail, as images of the home reportedly belonging to Hopkins have been shared online.

Taking to Instagram, the Silence Of The Lambs star sent a message to everyone who has been affected by the tragic blaze, which has officially claimed the lives of 11 people so far, along with thousands of homes and businesses.

Anthony Hopkins reportedly ‘lost his home’ in the LA wildfires (Momodu Mansaray/Getty Images)

“As we all struggle to heal from the devastation of these fires, it’s important we remember that the only thing we take with us is the love we give,” he wrote to his 5.4 million followers on Friday (10 January).

According to the BBC, Hopkins lost his home in the Palisades fire, with more 5,000 structures being destroyed in one of the ‘biggest’ fires out of the eight across the county, officials said (via The Independent).

The Mail also reports that Hopkins purchased the four-bedroom, five-bathroom home for $6 million (£4.9 million) in 2021.

Sadly, this may be the second time his house has been burnt down after his London property was lost in a blaze in 2000.

LADbible has contacted Hopkin’s representatives for comment.

Fellow actor James Woods – who worked with Hopkins in 1995’s Nixon – initially thought his home was burnt down in the fire, only to find it was still standing.

“A miracle has happened,” he wrote on Twitter. “We managed to get to our property and our home, that we were told is gone forever, is still standing.

The reported remains of Hopkins’ home (MEGA/GC Images)

“In this hellish landscape ‘standing’ is relative, but smoke and other damage is not like the utter destruction around us.”

In another tweet showing the damage done in the neighbourhood, Woods said he was ‘so happy and grateful’ to be able to come back to his house, however, due to the destruction of his neighbour’s properties, the ‘joyous news’ was ‘almost hard to celebrate’.

“It’s so fundamentally gut-wrenching and upsetting, it’s almost hard to celebrate the joyous news that our home survived,” he continued. “While we rejoice to find our house intact, in the midst of a hellscape like this, you can only think of your neighbours.

“I was so certain our house was gone a day ago, but the fickle finger of fate decided otherwise.”

Prior to this, the two-time Emmy winning actor had to quickly evacuate the property, as he said on social media: “We were blessed to have LA fire and police depts doing their jobs so well. We are safe and out…Can not speak more highly of the LA fire and LAPD.

“It tests your soul, losing everything at once, I must say.”

The owner of a $9 million Malibu mansion can’t believe that his property is still in tact after the Palisades fire tore through his neighbourhood.

With a confirmed death toll of 10, the Palisades Fire has so far destroyed over 5,000 homes and businesses, while the Eaton Fire near Pasadena has destroyed around 5,000 structures and spread to 14,000 acres.

Texas businessman David Steiner, 64, said it was ‘a miracle’ that his 4,200-square-foot, three-story house was spared after the LA wildfires have scorched over 35,000 acres of land.

David Steiner’s £7 million Malibu mansion was the only building left standing in the neighbourhood (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

Steiner said he had been receiving calls that ‘your house is all over the news‘ as the fires blazed across LA, however, it wasn’t for the reason that he’d initially expected.

“I started getting pictures and realised we had made it through,” he recalled to The New York Post.

“My wife sent me something this morning that said, ‘Last house standing’, and it brought a pretty big smile to my face at a pretty bad time.”

On why he thinks the structure survived, the lawyer and former head of Waste Management, Inc., in Houston, said: “It’s stucco and stone with a fireproof roof,” with pilings ‘like 50 feet into the bedrock’ to keep it steady when powerful waves crash into it.

Steiner called it ‘a miracle’ that his 4,200-square-foot, three-story house was spared (JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)

“It’s actually built like a cruise ship. The fireplace chimney looks like the smoke stack of a boat,” Steiner explained.

“And then the back balcony looks like the balcony off a cruise ship. And it feels like a cruise ship because you’re right there on the water.”

Although, he admitted: “To be totally honest with you, I never in a million years thought a wildfire would jump to the Pacific Coast Highway and start a fire.

“I thought, ‘If we ever have an earthquake, this would be the last thing to go’.

“I honestly didn’t think that if we had a fire, this would be the last thing to go,” he said of the 4,200-square-foot, four-bedroom home. “And it was. The architecture is pretty nice. But the stucco and fireproof roof are real nice.”

The structure of Steiner’s home is still in tact (JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)

Expressing gratitude in these difficult times, Steiner said: “I was getting texts from people saying, ‘We’re praying for you’. It’s so horrible.

“I said, ‘Don’t pray for me — what I lost is material goods’. I lost a property, but others lost their homes.

“I didn’t have my family’s mementos there. It wasn’t my family home.

“My heart goes out to those who lost their homes.”

Amongst those who’ve lost their homes to the fires are numerous celebrities, including Paris Hilton, Billy Crystal, Eugene Levy and James Woods.

One of the fires, known as the Kenneth fire, is believed by police to have been started intentionally and a man has since been arrested on suspicion of arson.