Oscar and Golden Globe winner Mel Gibson’s mansion, valued at $14.5 million, has been completely destroyed by fire. The Passion of the Christ director shared that the loss was overwhelming, as it wiped out everything he had collected over the past 15 years.
“Only the chimney and a few roof tiles remain. The area is littered with nails and debris, making it impossible to walk through. My cars are gone, everything reduced to ashes… I’ve never seen a fire like this. It almost feels like it was set on purpose,” Gibson said.
Although the fire claimed items filled with sentimental value, Gibson chose to adopt a philosophical outlook. “I’m no longer weighed down by those possessions,” he remarked bitterly. Remarkably, the chickens he and his wife raise survived the disaster, prompting Gibson to joke that at least they didn’t end up as grilled chicken.
Gibson compared the destruction caused by the fire to the bombing of Dresden during World War II, which took place from February 13–15, 1945. “I’ve never witnessed a community so thoroughly burned. Everything could just be swept into urns. My house looked like Dresden. But in the end, it’s just stuff, and everything can be replaced. The most important thing is that my loved ones are alive and safe,” he concluded.
