Right now, the serene coastal town of Myrtle Beach, known for its sandy beaches and vacation charm, is battling a raging forest fire that refuses to be tamed.

It’s a stark reminder of how quickly nature can flip the script on us, especially when the conditions are just right — or rather, all wrong. Then again, fires like this are never just “bad luck.” They’re the result of a perfect storm of environmental neglect and a planet that’s getting hotter and drier by the year.

What happened in Myrtle Beach?

Located in the heart of South Carolina’s Grand Strand, Myrtle Beach is a coastal city that thrives on tourism. The place wasn’t always the tourist mecca it is today, though. Back in the early 20th century, it was a quiet, largely undeveloped stretch of coastline. The development boom didn’t really take off until the 1950s and 60s, when the area started marketing itself as a vacation destination. 

Over the years, it’s transformed into a bustling hub of activity, but that growth has come at a cost. The natural ecosystems that once thrived here have been pushed to the sidelines, and now, with climate change making everything hotter and drier, those ecosystems are fighting back in the form of wildfires.

On the night of March 1, a fire erupted in Carolina Forest, an inland, suburban community just a short drive from the bustling beachfront. The fire spread with terrifying speed, doubling in size overnight from 600 acres to a staggering 1,200 acres by the morning of March 2. The sheer force and speed of the flames left little room for error, forcing residents in nearby homes to evacuate with barely enough time to grab their essentials.

Has the fire been contained?

At the time of writing, the fire in the Carolina Forest area is still raging, with zero containment reported. With dry vegetation and unpredictable winds still at play, every effort seems to be met with more challenges. Crews from across the region, including the South Carolina Forestry Commission, have been called in to help. Cooler temperatures and weaker winds overnight may give them a slight edge, but the sheer scale of the fire means control is still far off. Roads near the fire zone are being closely monitored. However, the thick smoke makes travel dangerous, even for emergency responders.

This isn’t the first time Carolina Forest has dealt with a wildfire. Back in 2009, a fire tore through the area, destroying over 70 homes and scorching more than 19,000 acres. That fire, too, was fueled by dry conditions and high winds. Climate change is making extreme weather events more frequent and severe. Longer droughts and unpredictable wind patterns are becoming the norm, even in regions that historically haven’t been wildfire-prone. As the smoke clears — whenever that may be — the people of Myrtle Beach will have to rebuild and prepare for whatever comes next.

Redefining bad wardrobe choices, a Southern California woman was arrested for looting a burned-down home in the Pacific Palisades, CA, area while wearing a “Palisades Strong” t-shirt sold to victims of the massive wildfire that swept through the community in January.

The suspect, Karen Mastey, had also launched a GoFundMe to victims, including her brother, who she says lost his home.

According to the California Highway Patrol (CHP), officers responded to a call of looting at a burned-down Pacific Palisades address on Feb. 21 this year. When they arrived, the suspect was gone, but based on the witness’s description, and a detailed description of the vehicle, authorities tracked the car to Mastey’s Valencia, CA residence.

Mastey was arrested on suspicion of grand theft, in possession of valuable antiques she’s accused of looting from the Palisades residence. As a suspect who has not yet been indicted Mastey’s face was blurred out in CHP’s post in compliance with California law. CHP confirmed Mastey’s Valencia address was not affected by the recent flames.

Mastey’s GoFundMe

On 2/21/25 officers from the CHP West Valley Area Office were notified of looting occurring at a residence in Pacific Palisades. The suspect, Karen Mastey, who was observed looting a burned-down residence was arrested and booked for Grand Theft. pic.twitter.com/A6rwQgGnfO

— CHP Southern (@CHPsouthern) February 22, 2025

According to KTLA, Mastey also launched a GoFundMe ing victims of the Palisades fire. In it, Mastey says she grew up in the Palisades area, where she says her brother lost his home.

The fundraiser says, “I’m trying to raise funds for my brother and friends of the Palisades that have owned their homes for over 40 years and are now retired.” Mastey added, “100% of funds will be used for non-disaster related expenses for families who lost literally everything from their homes.”

California Assembly Bill 469

Assembly Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino), Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks) and Blanca Pacheco (D-Downey) announced the legislation, Assembly Bill 469, at a press conference Monday morning.https://t.co/TAs3m0rLOy

— FOX40 News (@FOX40) February 10, 2025

Mastey’s arrest comes after several California assembly, with the of Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman, introduced Assembly Bill 469 to strengthen looting penalties, as well as penalties for impersonating public officials in emergencies, both widespread issues in the areas affected by the recent Los Angeles County wildfires. The bill would also make it a felony to loot from a home burned or abandoned because of fire.

Referring to the bill, DA Hochman said in a statement, “From the very beginning of the Los Angeles County wildfires, I have made it clear: our office has zero tolerance for the despicable crimes of those seeking to exploit this crisis like looting, arson, price gouging, impersonating first responders and financial scams. We will arrest these criminals, prosecute them, and then seek maximum sentences of prison or jail.”

Announcing Mastey’s arrest, CHP Chief Margaris added, “I am incredibly proud of the swift action taken by our officers to protect the public and prevent further harm. Their commitment to serving and assisting those in need during this challenging period reflects the highest standards of the CHP.”

Mastey was booked at the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s station. It’s unclear if Mastey will face additional charges or when she may appear in court. CHP also said whether Mastey’s GoFundMe was under investigation, The Malibu Times reported.

On Jan. 30, celebrities united for the FireAid benefit concert, held at the Intuit Dome and Kia Forum simultaneously, to raise crucial funds for the communities devastated by the wildfires that scorched thousands of acres and destroyed homes and businesses across Southern California.

Among those who performed were Jelly Roll, Katy Perry, Stevie Wonder, and Billie Eilish, with Lady Gaga closing out the concert at Intuit Dome with a three-song set. Playing the piano, Lady Gaga performed two of the songs from her movie A Star Is Born — “Shallow” and “Always Us This Way” — before ending with a surprise for the audience.

Before beginning the song, Lady Gaga said that she thought about which song to close with but found it difficult to choose one from her repertoire. In light of the event’s purpose, she couldn’t find a track that conveyed the sense of hope she wanted to leave the audience with. “When I was thinking about what to sing tonight, I thought I wanted to do something hopeful for you. And I was thinking about my songs, and there wasn’t anything that seemed quite right,” she explained.

Her solution? To write a new song altogether “just for tonight, just for you.” Lady Gaga revealed that she wrote it with her entrepreneur fiancé Michael Polansky exclusively for the benefit concert, adding, “I think we all need a lot of things right now, but I think something we may also need is time. Time is a healer.”

The song features an upbeat melody, bringing a sense of optimism and energy. Its lyrics deliver a hopeful message, emphasizing the idea that despite the weight of tragedy, healing and renewal are possible with time. “All I need is time to heal my broken wings, and then I’ll soar / All I need is time to leave it all behind and keep moving forward,” she sings in the chorus.

The new song isn’t the first time Lady Gaga has collaborated with Polansky. The couple also worked together on Harlequin, which she released as a companion album to her movie Joker: Folie à Deux. Her fiancé was credited as a co-writer for four songs and also listed as a co-executive producer of the album. 

Polansky has shown unwavering for his fiancée’s music career. As Lady Gaga shared in a 2024 Vogue interview, it was his encouragement that motivated her to work on her seventh studio album. “I encouraged her to lean in to othe joy of it. On the Chromatica tour, I saw a fire in her; I wanted to help her keep that alive all the time and just start making music that made her happy,” Polansky said. 

Lady Gaga shared that her album, Mayhem, marks a return to her pop music roots — the genre that resonated with her earliest fans. The album’s lead single, “Disease,” debuted in Oct. 2024. Another single is “Die With a Smile,” a duet with Bruno Mars. The third single, along with its music video, will be unveiled during a commercial break at the Grammy Awards on Feb. 2. Mayhem is set to be released on Mar. 7, 2025.

The risk from fires raging across California is shifting, as rainfall helps to quell the flames, but the danger has in no way ed.

Tens of thousands of people are still in serious peril across the state’s affected areas, even as blazes start to slow and the danger presented by the elements changes shape. Now that the worst of the fires have ed, many people are prepping to return home, but they’ll likely be blocked by the fresh risk of floods and mudslides. These new dangers are being calculated by emergency responders and government officials, even as they work to uncover the culprits behind the emergence of several mysterious and chilling signs.

People using Google Maps were among the first to detect the signs, which are situated near where several fires hit hardest in Southern California. Among the largest of the signs, which can be seen both aerially and from the ground, appears to be constructed of wood, and it currently resides on the other side of a barbed wire fence at 905 E Cesar E Chavez Ave in Los Angeles. Other help signs the massive wooden one in scattered nearby areas, including one that a local claims is constructed facing the roadway.

The signs send an alarming signal as Californians continue to grapple with constant environmental danger, first from the fires and now from the rain that initially brought such welcome relief. Risks of flooding, mudslides, and even toxic runoff now replace previous fears of the blaze, leaving the state’s residents with a new lineup of dangers to avoid. Multiple roadways have been closed down, including areas of the Pacific Coast Highway and Sunset Boulevard, as teams work to clear debris caused by flooding and landslides. Even as they work to return to their homes, California residents are getting stranded in their vehicles, introducing a brand new headache for an already hard-tested group.

The mysterious “help” signs don’t aid rising tensions across the state, as people wonder who erected the signs — and whether or not they got the help they requested. At least 29 people have lost their lives in the fires so far, and it’s not hard to wonder if the person — or people, quite likely — who made the signs were among those in dire situations.

Among locals, thankfully, those concerns are massively reduced, since many who are familiar with the area say those signs are nothing new. While their discovery in the midst of a disaster was certainly stirring, they’ve actually been around awhile, according to people swarming a Reddit share of the signs, and are apparently the result of a uniquely-creative homeless person who frequents the area.

Unfortunately for those of us with an inherent distrust in our government, that explanation leaves plenty to be desired. While its almost certainly true, and it’s good news for those of us concerned about the sign-constructor, its also much less exciting than many people assumed. It’s also “exactly what the serial killer holding hobo Squid Games at that location would say,” so do with that what you will.

After the brutal and devastating LA fires, many people are facing homelessness while others are facing damaged homes and harshly reduced property values — and long battles with insurance companies. Montecito-based former working Royals, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, look set to face a fierce financial blow in the wake of the terrible wildfires, although that still makes them luckier than most.

The couple moved to their luxury Montecito mansion not long after their highly public split with the Royal Family, and it’s where they’ve lived and made their home while not on overseas trips and jaunts. The mansion is the very definition of deluxe celebrity living and boasts a luxury feel in an exclusive setting. Unfortunately for the Sussexes, the surrounding destruction from the Palisades Fire has wiped up to $2.5 million from the plush pad’s valuation despite it coming through the blaze untouched.

Speaking in an exclusive interview to GBNews, property expert Terry Fisher explains that property valuations in high-risk areas like Montecito can suffer massive hits to their valuation to the tune of 10% thanks to a range of issues including increased insurance s and fears of further disasters in a real estate market that’s lost confidence.

This isn’t the only bad financial news the couple has faced in recent weeks. Despite winning his long-standing legal battle with the News Group Newspapers and walking away with a cool £10 million, legal fees and U.S. tax rules may prove a headache for the victorious prince. The pair is also reeling after a scathing Vanity Fair exposé was published casting them in a very bad light. But bruised egos and lightened wallets aside, it’s not all bad news. The Sussexes have — unusually — received praise and compliments for their actions during the LA fires amid the braying calls of their detractors, and even their financial woes have a silver lining.

Fisher goes on to suggest that the luxury and exclusive nature of the Montecito area means that any decrease in value is unlikely to persist over the long-term, and coupled with “state-of-the-art fire safety features” in the Montecito area, prices will probably continue to rise — just maybe a little slower than before. This is borne out of the area’s recent history: Bought for the “bargain” price of just under $14 million, the Sussexes’ home saw an increase in its value of 110%, raising it to a whopping $29 million prior to the recent fires thanks to its secluded and exclusive, star-studded locale.

This is a fortunate boost for people like Harry and Meghan, whose homes are already worth tens of millions and who can expect little further worry in the long term. It’s less helpful to people in areas that aren’t as prestigious or celebrity-encrusted, where values will recover much more slowly and where insurance coverage can be difficult to find. This is on top of yet another blow, as U.S. Republican lawmakers play political games with federal disaster relief money while contributing nothing more to the response than misinformation and nonsense.

The media really does have it in for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and, at this point, they could rescue a litter of newborn puppies from a burning building and they’d probably be accused of staging the whole thing, or blasted for their attention-seeking behavior.

You’d think that the Sussexes would be used to it by now, but this last week has left the couple “stunned and appalled” at the criticisms levied against them in the wake of the LA wildfires.

Harry and Meghan offered to victims of the fire

The pair have spent the better part of the last two weeks doing what they can to help those affected by the disaster, as their Montecito home is not too far from where the fires are raging. They’ve allowed friends who have been displaced to stay in their mansion and also volunteered at the World Central Kitchen, where they were pictured serving meals, hugging, and speaking to people there. 

On top of this, Harry and Meghan also donated money through the Archewell Foundation and they’ve helped provide clothing, children’s items, and other essentials. They’ve truly done a lot to try and help, and while they have received some praise for their actions, the couple have mostly earned the ire of the rest of the world.

“Getting treated like garbage”

Royal commentators accused Meghan in particular of using the tragedy as a photo opportunity with comparisons being made to how Kate Middleton publicly showed for victims of a tragedy. She was also labelled as a “disaster tourist,” which doesn’t seem entirely fair considering the fact that Markle was born and raised in LA and she and Harry only live 90 miles away from the area. 

Of course, whether they had ulterior motives with their recent “good deeds” or not cannot be confirmed. Despite this, many have already made up their minds, deciding to call out Harry and Meghan for “attention-seeking” once again.

A source close to the couple revealed to Heat World that they “are stunned and appalled at the criticism they’ve endured over all this.” While they are often the subject of negative press, it seems they really weren’t expecting their recent actions to be twisted into such a malicious story.

“It confirms what they already knew to a big extent, that they can’t win, no matter what they do. Their haters will always be out in force, finding any way possible to tear them down. [Meghan’s] still getting treated like garbage. Harry is telling her how proud he is and that the only way to handle it is to turn the other cheek.”

After years of criticism and disdain being directed towards Harry and Meghan, it almost seems like the world is incapable of seeing them as anything other than the embodiment of pure evil. Whatever they do, no matter how good or pure their intentions may be, it seems their detractors will find a way to twist it into something else.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are rarely far from the spotlight. In fact, it seems like there’s never a day in the U.K. where the former royal couple aren’t making headlines for one reason or another. But despite coverage of the Sussexes being negative more often than not, a friend of the family has praised Harry and Meghan for choosing to be in the spotlight.

World Central Kitchen founder José Andrés, 55, considers the Sussexes to be close “friends” and has praised the pair for stepping up to offer to families in need in the wake of the wildfires that struck LA (which still threaten to cause more damage even now). Harry and Meghan recently paid a visit to the Pasadena food bank where they were pictured talking with victims, meeting the mayor, and hugging Andrés.

José’s comments contrast with what a lot of royal commentators from the U.K. have been saying about the Sussex family’s appearances in LA. Last week Meghan was criticized for seemingly turning the tragedy into a publicity stunt. More detractors came out of the woodwork to shame her for her kindhearted gesture with some labelling her a “disaster tourist.”

Harry and Meghan’s friend praises their decision to step into the spotlight

Regardless of what the U.K. media thinks of them, their friend José has nothing but good things to say. 

“I know they are in the spotlight – not in America, but in Britain – and what I can tell you from what I know is that they don’t have to, but they decide to do it.”

He went on to say that it was “amazing” that they showed up and that the couple were going around listening to people and offering hugs. They have also offered to house friends displaced by the fires in their Montecito mansion. Andrés applauded all the celebrities who volunteered to help those affected by the wildfires, “I think anybody that does anything, celebrity or not, only they will always forever get my applause and my recognition.”

Clearly, as far as José’s concerned, Harry and Meghan should be commended for offering to help when they didn’t have to – it’s as simple as that. But that’s not the way it’s being seen across the pond. The spotlight shining on the couple from the U.K. has been trained on them for a long time, and that light has scorched their reputation beyond repair. The royal deserters almost never receive praise or sympathy from the British tabloids – which is exactly why royal commentators see their voluntary work as a self-serving publicity stunt.

So who is in the right in this situation? José (who may be a little biased due to being friends with Harry and Meghan) or the U.K. media (who may also be biased due to years of exclusively dunking on the couple every chance they get)? We can’t say what their motivations were for sure, but what we can say is that the Sussexes receive nothing but outrage from the U.K. whenever they step into that spotlight, so perhaps it would be best to take a step back for now.

The devastating Los Angeles wildfires have claimed the lives of many and destroyed the homes of countless others and, in a recent interview, Tyra Banks heartbreakingly revealed that she is among the celebrities who have lost their homes in this apocalyptic disaster.

During an interview conducted by Channel Seven’s Sydney Studios in Australia, the 51-year-old former supermodel opened up about the fear she experienced during the wildfire — all while living abroad. As they discussed the devastation caused by the fires and the impact on Banks’ friends and family, the American supermodel itted that she, too, was one of the victims who lost their home.

“But you know, some people have lost their houses,” said Natalie Barr, one of the hosts. Banks responded, “I know, I was one of them.” Her reply immediately elicited a shocked reaction from both Barr and her co-host, Matt Shirvington, who gasped in surprise. “I haven’t really talked about it, but yeah, I have,” Banks explained. “just didn’t want to pull a lot of attention to me, I feel like there’s a lot of people that need that attention so I haven’t talked about it. But I can’t sit here and not tell the truth.”

This entirely valid reason for keeping the information private has also become one of the more debated and criticized aspects of the wildfire’s aftermath. The fires destroyed a significant number of large homes and properties belonging to wealthier classes and celebrities — people who, at the end of the day, often have the resources to recover what they’ve lost. Still, losing everything they own is a devastating experience, one that many of us can’t begin to fully comprehend.

Despite no longer living in Los Angeles, Tyra Banks and her partner, Louis Bélanger-Martin, lost the home they cherished for so many years. “I kept checking my phone — not for my house, but for my friends and family, to make sure they were evacuating,” Banks shared, her eyes welling up with tears. “And then I asked my partner, ‘I’m seeing something on my phone here,’ and he… [nods]. I just pulled myself together and didn’t say anything to my friends. I stayed in that moment. Then we went home, cried, and had our moment.”

Originally from Inglewood, California where she was born and raised, Banks now splits her time between Sydney, Australia, and New York City. Fortunately, she had already moved most of her belongings to New York before the Palisades fires broke out, leaving her LA home relatively empty at the time it went in flames. Nevertheless, it is surely still deeply unsettling to see the state where she was born and raised facing such a catastrophic event — alongside the feeling of helplessness from being abroad.

Banks is currently preparing to open her first ice cream store, Smize & Dream, at Darling Harbour in March. While the fires — burning through more than 23,700 acres and destroying over 5,000 structures — took away a significant piece of her life and memories, she will surely continue to move forward with exciting new projects on the horizon.

Amidst the horrors of the Los Angeles fires (which have since claimed 27 lives and could continue rendering the area uninhabitable for months), many have done what they could to step up for those in need. Two such folk are Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, whose contributions have included funds for rebuilding efforts, hosting evacuees in their mansion, and spur-of-the-moment donut runs.

Of course, the primary law of the universe dictates that Markle apparently be lambasted if she ever so much as lifts a finger, and the “disaster tourist” accusations that have followed the couple since they arrived to help has now been compounded by a new, retrospective revelation.

In the wake of the fires, Markle notably pushed the release date of her incoming Netflix show With Love, Meghan so as to focus her efforts on those affected by the fires. This has now drawn comparison to the couple allowing their interview with Oprah to air (alongside their Netflix docies and the release of Harry’s memoir Split) despite the difficulties that the Royal Family were facing at that time (chiefly, the health struggles and deaths of Prince Phillip and Queen Elizabeth II). As a royal source puts it to the Daily Mail:

Meghan seemingly didn’t think twice about going ahead with the Oprah interview, did she? Let’s not forget how deeply the interview with America’s chat show queen must have wounded the Royal Family. It’s not hard to see why some close to the Royal Family would treat Meghan’s concern for the feelings of others with profound scepticism.

Roughly translated, this reads as the following: The emotional livelihood of hundreds of thousands of people who just had their entire lives ripped away from them, are equivalent to those of one measly family whose very pride has been legislated to the point where they and many others believe their significance goes far beyond a cosmetic one. For not recognizing that, Meghan Markle is a conniving, unfeeling witch that you should hate.

Look, maybe that Oprah interview did do some marked emotional damage to of the Royal Family, and maybe Meghan and Harry anticipated that. But just as well, maybe that interview served as a sort of catharsis that resulted in Meghan and Harry no longer holding onto emotional baggage that had always been the rest of the Royal Family’s to carry.

I don’t know either way; I didn’t watch the interview. But more importantly, I don’t understand nor have a stake in the interpersonal emotional dynamics of the Royal Family, because I am not a member of the Royal Family.

I do not need Meghan Markle to be a good person, and I do not need Meghan Markle to be a bad person. What’s undeniable, however, is that her efforts — regardless of what motivated those efforts — have provided some fraction of levity to the lives of people who are, in all likelihood, forever changed by what they’ve witnessed and left behind. And that, dear readers, is far more commendable than never shutting the hell up about her real or perceived character.

No matter what she does, Meghan Markle will always face criticism for her actions. The Duchess of Sussex recently visited victims of the California wildfires in Pasadena alongside her husband, yet her detractors have managed to twist this supposedly charitable action into something else.

Markle has been told she should handle her “grief with dignity” after she was spotted with Harry in LA last week. The pair paid a visit to a food bank in the city and also met with the mayor, Victor Gordo, as well as a handful of emergency workers. The duchess was snapped by multiple photo agencies as well as the local news outlet, Fox 11, as the disaster continues tearing its way through the Pacific Palisades. The Eton fires rage on in Altadena too, though it has made forward momentum toward further containment.

Markle received backlash from royal commentators who labelled her a “disaster tourist.” Royal commentator Amanda Platell stated that Markle should step back and take a more private approach, akin to how Kate Middleton handles tragedies.

Meghan should show “grief with dignity”

Platell painted Meghan in a pretty negative light, almost accusing the duchess of using the disaster as an opportunity to make it about herself. She wrote, “It could all have been so different. If only the smug, bit-part actress Meghan – who thought she knew it all – had taken a leaf out of Kate’s book in handling grief with dignity.”

Platell uses Kate Middleton’s appearance in Southport after the stabbing of multiple children last year as a contrasting example of how to handle oneself when offering for a tragedy when you’re a member of the royal family. She pointed to the lack of fanfare and film crew in tow, “No media was tipped off about the visits. No cameras were allowed to witness their harrowing meetings.”

The Sussexes have often found themselves accused of attention-seeking behavior and clearly Platell believes that this is just another publicity stunt for Meghan. “Did Meghan ever consider that the last thing [victims] needed was a publicity-seeking, celebrity duchess sobbing on their shoulder">down the road from her and Harry’s Montecito mansion. In fact, their home is at risk too, so it’s hardly “disaster tourism” when this tragedy is happening in her own local community.

The disaster is also receiving near constant coverage right now so it’s also a little difficult to avoid cameras and film crews in the area. Perhaps Meghan is trying to score some brownie points with some performative charity, but it’s difficult to see what she and Harry could have done differently to avoid the public attention here.

By now Meghan Markle is more than accustomed to letting insults slide off her like water off a duck’s back. From the nanosecond she was associated with Prince Harry her every action, outfit, comment, and facial expression has been dissected by a legion of onlookers. For some, whatever she chooses to do will be the wrong decision.

So we shouldn’t be surprised that Markle appears supremely unaffected by the torrent of anger that’s come her way over the last week for *checks notes* uh, delivering charitable aid to those affected by the Los Angeles fires. Truly, she is history’s greatest monster.

Harry and Meghan’s appearance over the weekend at the Pasadena Convention Center certainly drew headlines, with the couple helping officials distribute food and supplies to those who lost their homes in the blaze. Markle was born and raised in Los Angeles and while her Montecito home wasn’t affected by the disaster, it’s perhaps understandable she’d want to help out.

But the haters weren’t buying it, dismissing the couple as “disaster tourists.” Family Ties star Justine Bateman delivered a spectacularly venomous critique, billing the Sussexes as “repulsive”:

A “source” angrily pushed back against this to Page Six, saying: “It’s offensive to Meghan and Harry that anybody would think this is merely a photo opportunity. Meghan was born and raised in Los Angeles so this is, and always will be, home to her.” They underlined that Markle is “not just a tourist” and that her “heart is completely broken for all the lives that have been lost and for those whose homes have been destroyed in these fires.”

Well, Markle clearly didn’t get the memo that distributing charitable aid is being a self-centered “ambulance chaser” because she’s back at it. Yesterday she made an appearance at the Altadena Girls Fire Recovery Fund with bags of donations, dressed down in an “L.A.” baseball cap, jeans, and plain t-shirt:

Notably, Markle isn’t even the focus of the video, nor is she even tagged in the description. In fact, were you to casually watch it you might not even realize she was in it. Whether that’s a conscious effort to avoid making this visit about Markle, or simply that the charity decided they wanted to keep the focus on the community is unclear. But, seriously, it doesn’t particularly matter.

Even if you accept the most negative interpretation of Markle’s actions – that she’s cynically exploiting a tragedy as she knows it’s good PR – she’s ultimately still doing charitable work. After all, if your home and all your possessions have been reduced to cinders, a bag of new clothes is a bag of new clothes, regardless of the motivations behind it.

At this point, the army of Markle haters wouldn’t change their minds about her even if she single-handedly cured cancer, negotiated world peace, and solved global warming, so perhaps it’s best she simply pays them no mind and gets on with her life. That said, her Netflix cooking show does look really bad, so maybe we should reserve opinion on her saintliness until after that’s premiered.

The Los Angeles wildfires have caused more devastation than anyone could have anticipated, continuing a deadly wave of destruction and loss for over a week. Tragically, more and more people are being affected by these seemingly endless fires, with some even succumbing to these catastrophic disasters. Among the most recent victims is Hollywood royalty, 95-year-old Dalyce Curry.

According to her granddaughter, Dalyce Kelley, the Blues Brothers actress is now one of the 25 confirmed casualties of the LA wildfires, which began on Jan. 7. Kelley explained to The Daily Mail that her grandmother had just been discharged from the hospital after dealing with heart issues and was eager to return home to Altadena, California. On the way, with Kelley driving, the two noticed flames in Altadena. Dalyce quickly dismissed the smoke, assuming it was far from her residence.

Believing her grandmother was not in imminent danger, Kelley dropped Dalyce off at her home and returned to her place. Unfortunately, while they might have been correct at the time, strong winds caused the fire to spread rapidly. Within hours, the flames had reached several homes, including Dalyce’s.

Later that evening, Kelley received the devastating news that the Eaton Fire had consumed several blocks of Altadena, including her grandmother’s neighborhood, but she lived 25 miles away from her grandmother. Because of this distance, she ed the sheriff’s and fire departments, hoping they could check on her Dalyce. Unfortunately, the lines were overwhelmed with calls, and she received no response.

It was then that Kelley decided to drive to her grandmother’s home in the middle of the night, knowing that Dalyce was unlikely to have checked her phone for evacuation messages. Tragically, Kelley was right.”I found out later that people in the area received an evacuation notice at 3:30 a.m. that [Wednesday] morning, but Momma D wasn’t a cell phone type of girl,” Kelley recalled. “When you’re elderly, it’s either hard for them to use or they just don’t like using cell phones.”

By the time Kelley reached Altadena — around 5:30 a.m. — authorities were already on the scene, cordoning off neighborhoods affected by the fires. Kelley described her overwhelming panic as she witnessed the post-apocalyptic devastation before her. “It was all black, and I just panicked because I felt like I was in hell,” she recounted. “A man ed me, yelling that his whole house had burned down. Another lady drove by screaming, ‘The whole city is gone!’ And I’m like, ‘Oh, my God! What is happening?'”

Desperate to find her grandmother, Kelley approached an officer and was advised to head to the Pasadena Civic Center, where evacuees had been taken. On her way there, she received a devastating call from the same officer. “I was on my way to Pasadena when he called me back,” Kelley recounted. “He said, ‘Ma’am, I hate to tell you, but your grandmother’s house is totally gone.'”

In the hours and days following the fire, Kelley clung to hope that someone had managed to evacuate her grandmother. She was even permitted to visit Dalyce’s home to search for any remains. She found nothing, further fueling her hope. Two days later, though, Kelley received a devastating call from county Medical Examiner officials.

“It was 5 p.m. on Sunday when I saw the coroner’s number, and my heart dropped,” Kelley recounted. On the other end of the line, she heard the heartbreaking news: “Unfortunately, we did find remains at your grandmother’s home.”

Officials also shared their belief that the 95-year-old actress was likely asleep during the fire. “That means she was probably asleep and just so tired that she never even took her eyeglasses off,” Kelley recalled being told. In a way, it may be a small comfort to know that Dalyce lived a long, full, and happy life and perhaps did not experience the despair such a situation could bring.

Dalyce is survived by her children and grandchildren, who will forever cherish her memory.