Warriors coach Steve Kerr loses childhood home in Palisades Fire, says damage "surreal and devastating"
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr confirmed that his childhood home was among those destroyed in 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 that began Tuesday was "surreal and devastating."
"That's my hometown and all my friends who are from they, pretty much they have lost all their homes, family homes, childhood homes...the town looks like it's completely wiped out," he said in a video posted on X (formerly Twitter) by Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
Kerr said he has been in touch with his 90-year-old mother and his siblings since the fires started on Tuesday. While they are safe from the Palisades Fire, his childhood home, which his parents bought in 1969, was destroyed. The fire had also caused serious damage to Palisades Charter High School, where Kerr graduated in 1983.
"It's hard to even fathom how Pacific Palisades rebuilds and how it becomes a thriving community again," he went on to say.
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 down Sunset Blvd. to campus of UCLA is one I've made a million times. So many great memories and then to the images of Sunset Blvd. and the Palisades...just shocking, apocalyptic," he said.
Kerr said he last visited home about two weeks ago for dinner the night before a game. The Warriors faced the Clippers in Los Angeles on Dec. 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 the number is much greater. The fire, which is only 6% contained, has already been added to the list of the 20 most destructive fires in state history.
