Disney CEO Bob Iger Shares Statement About California Wildfires

Much of Los Angeles is currently experiencing a major natural disaster as fires barrel through the area. Residents are being instructed to evacuate if they live near the impacted zones as evacuation orders continue to expand.

Multiple fires are burning throughout the LA area, including one impacting Pasadena and Altadena, one in part of the San Fernando Valley called Sylmar, and one in the Pacific Palisades area, among others. As California officials work to try to contain the fires, Disney CEO Bob Iger has shared a statement.

The Hurst Fire, the Eaton Fire, the Lidia Fire, the Sunset Fire, and the Palisades Fire are all located in the Los Angeles area and continue to spread as the Santa Ana winds move through California. While Disneyland is just under 50 miles from the center of the closest fires, Disney CEO Bob Iger drove through Pacific Palisades on January 8th to see the damages.

In a post on Iger’s Instagram page, he said:

“I drove through Pacific Palisades today and witnessed firsthand the devastation caused by the fires. My heart goes out to everyone who has lost homes and businesses, and to all whose lives have been impacted, including thousands of Disney employees.”

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A post shared by Robert Iger (@robertiger)

Former Disney Imagineer Joe Rohde also shared his thoughts on Instagram and said, “Way back when Imagineering was hiring for Epcot, one of the few places we young imagineers [sic] could afford to get a house was Altadena, a sleepy, little foothill community full of wonderful old houses that needed some love and attention.”

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A post shared by Joe Rohde (@joerohde)

This map from the New York Times shows that the smoke from the Palisades Fire is expected to spread through Los Angeles and up to Glendale, where the Walt Disney Company headquarters are located. As of 5 PM on January 8th, the smoke was not expected to reach Anaheim. The Los Angeles airport (LAX) will experience heavy smoke, however.

Governor of California Gavin Newsom shared a statement on Wednesday, saying that “Firefighters are working through the night to save lives & battle these aggressive fires.” Teams are working around the clock to contain the fires, but experts are still anticipating more devastating losses.

As of now, Disneyland Resort continues to operate normally, while Universal Studios Hollywood and CityWalk are closed for the second day in a row. The following zones are under an evacuation order, meaning the area is lawfully closed to public access — make sure you check local sources for the most updated evacuation information:

LAC-E119-B, LAC-E132-A, LAC-E132-B, LOS-E001
DRY-U026-A, LOS-Q0767, MAL-C111-A, MAL-C111-B, MAL-C112-B, MTN-U028, RMB-U030-A, RMB-U030-B, RMB-U030-D, RRC-U027, SAN-Q1395-B, SAN-Q1396-B, SDP-U029, SSM-U010-A, SSM-U010-B, TOP-U001, TOP-U002, TOP-U003, TOP-U004, TOP-U005, TOP-U006, TOP-U007, TOP-U008, TOP-U009
ALD-ARROYOSECO, ALD-CALAVERAS, ALD-CANON, ALD-CASITAS, ALD-CHANEY, ALD-EASTLOMA, ALD-EATONCANYON, ALD-FARNSWORTH, ALD-GARDEN, ALD-GARFIAS, ALD-LAUREL, ALD-MEADOWS, ALD-MENDOCINO, ALD-MIDLOTHIAN, ALD-MILLARD, ALD-MOUNTLOWE, ALD-PALM, ALD-RUBIO, ALD-WAPELLO, ALD-WHITEPARK, ARC-001, ARC-002, ARC-004, GLN-E018, GLN-E027, GLN-E028, GLN-E029, GLN-E030, GLN-E039, GLN-E040, GLN-E041,GLN-E043, GLN-E044, KIN-KINNELOA, LAC-E183, LCF-ALTACANYADA, LCF-BERKSHIRE, LCF-CASTLE, LCF-CIVICCENTER, LCF-COMMONWEALTH, LCF-CREST, LCF-CROWN, LCF-DESCANSO, LCF-FOOTHILLEAST, LCF-FOOTHILLWEST, LCF-HAMPSTEAD, LCF-HILLARD, LCF-INVERNESS, LCF-JPL, LCF-MEMORIAL, LCF-PARADISE, LCF-STARLIGHT, MRV-101, MRV-102, MRV-201, MRV-202, MRV-203, MRV-204, PAS-E001, PAS-E002, PAS-E003, PAS-E006, PAS-E008, PAS-E010, PAS-E012, PAS-E019, PAS-E022, SMD-E001, SMD-E002, SMD-E003, SMD-E004, SMD-E005, SMD-E006, SMD-E007, SMD-E008, SMD-E009, SMD-E010, SMD-E011, SMD-E012, SMD-E013, SMD-E014, SMD-E015, SMD-E016, SMD-E017, SMD-E019
The area north of Orange Grove/Rosemead Blvd., east of Lake Ave., and west of Michillinda Ave