Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said his 90-year-old mother, Ann, lost her home in the devastating wildfires raging through Pacific Palisades. Ann Kerr evacuated safely earlier this week, but the loss of their family home since 1969 has left Kerr deeply affected.
My family is fine, and my mom is safe, but her house is gone,” Kerr said Thursday before the Warriors played the Detroit Pistons. He described the experience as “surreal and devastating,” reflecting on the destruction of his childhood town and its community.
West of downtown Los Angeles, the community of Pacific Palisades has taken a great deal of the impact of the fires. Its quaint neighborhoods, hugging the Santa Monica Mountains and then the ocean, have been extensively destroyed. Fast-moving flames, pushed by the fierce Santa Ana winds, have incinerated thousands of structures and forced nearly 180,000 residents to flee.
Kerr reminisced about visiting his mother a fortnight ago, during which they marked significant family milestones at their home. “We had 100 guests on that hillside last summer for my mom’s birthday,” he said with a nostalgic expression. “It was an idyllic place with amazing sunsets and so many cherished moments.”
Despite the loss, Kerr stressed gratitude for his family’s safety. “She took as much as she could—photos, paintings. It’s the memories that are hardest to lose,” he said.
With the recovery efforts on, Kerr recognized the long road ahead for the community. “Rebuilding seems unimaginable now, but I hope Pacific Palisades can thrive again someday,” he concluded.
The wildfires that started earlier this week are still uncontrolled. Authorities are investigating the cause as residents prepare for more challenges in the coming days.
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