James Woods breaks down crying on air after his home burns down in L.A. wildfires: 'It was like an inferno'

James Woods is mourning the loss of his newly renovated Pacific Palisades home.

In the wake of the wildfires still raging through southern California, the Vampires actor fought back tears as he recounted evacuating from his Los Angeles property, which he now knows has been destroyed by the flames.

"Our beautiful little house," Woods lamented during an on-air interview with CNN's Pamela Brown. He explained that he and his wife, Sara Miller-Woods, spent much of the COVID-19 pandemic living in a hotel before extending their stay while their home was being renovated. They returned to the fixed-up space just last month.

Related: Mark Hamill, Mandy Moore, and other stars forced to evacuate L.A. homes amid 'horrific' Palisades fire

"We finally had it done, and we were swimming everyday and my blood pressure was going down," Woods shared, his voice cracking with emotion. "If you ever saw the views from that house before this fire, they were just… It was paradise. And our neighbors, we knew them all."

He added, "One day you’re swimming in the pool and the next day it’s all gone."

Woods also recounted the evacuation of his neighborhood, sharing that after he and his wife were forced to leave their home with only "the clothes on our backs," he grew concerned for their 94-year-old neighbor, who has dementia and lives alone. Looking to confirm his safety, Woods contacted the police, to request a wellness check. He claims authorities found the elderly man still at home, in his pantry.

"He’d been left alone," Woods said. "There was so much chaos, it was like an inferno. Every house was on fire around us."

Of the neighbor's current status, he confirmed, "He's okay. They found him, he's in the hospital, he's great."

At another point, Woods grew emotional as he described his 9-year-old niece's response to learning that his home had burned down.

"She came out with her little Yeti piggybank for us to rebuild our house," he shared.

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As the conversation progressed, Woods became overwhelmed more than once, and apologized to Brown when he needed a moment to calm down.

"I thought I would be stronger than this,” Woods said, wiping tears from his eyes.

“Strength is not measured by whether you hold in crying or not," Brown replied. "Strength is what you are doing now in helping your neighbors and shining a light on the great, amazing work of all those firefighters and emergency crews.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency as multiple wildfires continue to blaze through Los Angeles County. The largest of the blazes, the Palisades Fire, broke out near the Pacific Palisades neighborhood on Tuesday morning and has burned at least 2,900 acres. According to the Associated Press, approximately 30,000 residents have been instructed to evacuate.

On Tuesday, the Nixon and Virgin Suicides actor used social media to document the evacuation, sharing photos that he took before fleeing his home, and additional pictures per security cameras around his home.

"To all the wonderful people who’ve reached out to us, thank you for being so concerned. Just letting you know that we were able to evacuate successfully," Woods wrote on Tuesday night. "I do not know at this moment if our home is still standing, but sadly houses on our little street are not."

In a subsequent post, he acknowledged his newly renovated home but added, "There is no possession as priceless as friends and good neighbors during a tragedy. I can’t believe the blessings we enjoy, and I am humbly grateful."

The actor, who hasn't appeared in a film since being dropped by his agent in 2017, also went on to deny that the raging fires are in any way related to climate change, calling one X user a "liberal idiot" for suggesting otherwise.

"This fire is not from 'climate change,' you ignorant asshole," he wrote. "It’s because liberal idiots like you elect liberal idiots like Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass. One doesn’t understand the first thing about fire management and the other can’t fill the water reservoirs."

Related: Spencer Pratt reveals his and wife Heidi's home was destroyed in Los Angeles wildfire: 'Nightmare came true'

Woods most recently served as a producer on Christopher Nolan's Best Picture-winning blockbuster, Oppenheimer. Following the film's Oscar triumph, he admitted that he was asked to "basically remain invisible" when it came to his involvement in the film, due to his vocal support for President-elect Donald Trump.

"I just, I stepped back and, basically, you know, took one for the team," Woods said in 2024.

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