Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr confirmed his childhood home was part of the devastation from this week’s wind-driven wildfires that have devastated Southern California.
Speaking to reporters before Thursday’s game against the Pistons in Detroit, Kerr, who grew up in Pacific Palisades, said the damage from the Palisades Fire which began on Tuesday was “surreal and devastating.”
“That’s my hometown and all my friends who are from there. They’ve lost pretty much all their houses, family homes, childhood homes… the city looks like it’s been completely wiped out,” he said in a video on X ( formerly Twitter) by Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
Kerr said he has been in contact with his 90-year-old mother and his siblings since the fires started Tuesday. While they are safe from the Palisades Fire, his childhood home, which his parents bought in 1969, was destroyed. The fire also caused serious damage to Palisades Charter High School, where Kerr graduated in 1983.
“It is difficult to imagine how Pacific Palisades will rebuild and become a thriving community again,” he continued.
Kerr noted the memories he had growing up in the area, calling Pacific Palisades an “idyllic place.”
“My dad taught at UCLA and so that drive from Pacific Palisades along Sunset Blvd. to the UCLA campus is one I’ve made a million times. So many great memories and then looking at the images of Sunset Blvd. and the Palisades… just shocking, apocalyptic,” he said.
Kerr said he was last home for dinner about two weeks ago, the night before a game. The Warriors faced the Clippers in Los Angeles on December 27.
As of Friday, the fire has burned more than 20,400 acres and destroyed at least 10,000 structures, which Cal Fire officials believe is much higher. The fire, which is only 6% under control, has already been added to the list of the 20 most destructive fires in state history.
