Bella Hadid’s childhood home destroyed in LA fires

Bella Hadid’s childhood home destroyed in LA fires
Bella Hadid offered a glimpse into the heartbreaking loss of a place filled with cherished childhood memories. (Getty Images)
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Updated 11 January 2025

Bella Hadid’s childhood home destroyed in LA fires

Bella Hadid’s childhood home destroyed in LA fires

DUBAI: US Dutch Palestinian model Bella Hadid took to Instagram this week to share a devastating moment as her childhood home in Los Angeles caught fire.

The model posted a photo on her Instagram Story showing flames and smoke engulfing the house, accompanied by the caption: “Childhood bedroom,” with a sad face emoji.

In a following Story, Hadid shared an aerial view of the house after the fire had been extinguished, revealing the extent of the damage. The once-familiar home was visibly charred, with remnants of the fire still evident.




The model posted a photo on her Instagram Story showing flames and smoke engulfing the house, accompanied by the caption: “Childhood bedroom,” with a sad face emoji. (Instagram)

While Bella did not provide further details, her posts offered a glimpse into the heartbreaking loss of a place filled with cherished childhood memories.

The Malibu property, where her mother Yolanda Hadid once lived and raised Bella and her sister Gigi, frequently appeared on “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.”




In a following Story, Hadid shared an aerial view of the house after the fire had been extinguished, revealing the extent of the damage. (Instagram)

Hadid is not the first celebrity to experience such a loss. Billy Crystal lost his Pacific Palisades home, where he had lived since 1979. Paris Hilton watched her Malibu beach mansion burn live on television.

Perennial Oscars host Crystal and his wife Janice said they were heartbroken to lose the Pacific Palisades house where they had raised their children and grandchildren.

Media personality Hilton said she was “heartbroken beyond words” to lose her beachfront mansion.

“Sitting with my family, watching the news, and seeing our home in Malibu burn to the ground on live TV is something no one should ever have to experience,” she wrote on X.

The list of celebrities impacted by the worst fires in Los Angeles history reads like a Hollywood who’s who: Jamie Lee Curtis, James Woods, Mandy Moore, Mark Hamill, and Maria Shriver all publicly shared their experiences of being forced to evacuate as flames tore through some of the city’s most exclusive neighborhoods.

The Palisades Fire between Santa Monica and Malibu on the city’s western flank and the Eaton Fire in the east near Pasadena rank as the most destructive in Los Angeles history, consuming more than 35,000 acres (14,164 hectares) — or some 54 square miles — and turning entire neighborhoods to ash.


Exploring the Grand Egyptian Museum, home to ancient treasures  

Exploring the Grand Egyptian Museum, home to ancient treasures  
Updated 54 min 11 sec ago

Exploring the Grand Egyptian Museum, home to ancient treasures  

Exploring the Grand Egyptian Museum, home to ancient treasures  

CAIRO: The Grand Egyptian Museum opened its doors to the public on Tuesday and attracted around 18,000 visitors, underscoring widespread enthusiasm to explore Egypt’s newest cultural and archaeological landmark.

Fittingly, GEM opened on a historic date, marking 103 years since the legendary discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb on Nov. 4, 1922.

The largest archaeological museum in the world dedicated to a single civilization, GEM is located around 2 km from the Giza Pyramids and covers a total of 490,000 sq. meters.

The Grand Egyptian Museum opened its doors to the public on Tuesday and attracted around 18,000 visitors on its first day. (Arab News Photo)

Despite the large number of visitors on Tuesday, movement between the 12 exhibition galleries remained smooth and organized. Interactive screens and 3D displays provide engaging ways to explore information, while additional resources such as photographs, informational panels, and virtual reality rooms offer diverse visual and educational content.

Also on Tuesday, the museum announced the launch of a new audio guide service, enabling guests to navigate the exhibits housing over 57,000 artifacts with relative ease.

The museum is home to  over 57,000 artifacts. (Arab News Photo)

The exhibition space dedicated to Tutankhamun has caused a stir, with international deadlines celebrating the first-ever full showcase of the famed pharaoh’s belongings.

Arab News toured the gallery on Tuesday, along with exhibitions dedicated to parts of a now-underwater city found off the coast of Alexandria and to Khufu’s solar boats, grand vessels discovered in 1954 that may have been intended to carry the pharaoh’s soul into the afterlife.

The Tutankhamun gallery is home to more than 5,000 artifacts showcased together for the first time, just as Egyptologist Howard Carter would have discovered them 103 years ago.

Chariots on show in the Tutankhamun gallery. (Arab News Photo)

The gallery’s innovative design immerses visitors in the life of Tutankhamun, who ruled circa 1333 – 1323 B.C., taking museum goers on a journey that brings each stage of his story to life.

“Our philosophy is form follows content. The narrative defines the space. In the Tutankhamun Gallery, the objects themselves tell the story of the young king, his life, his death, and his journey into the afterlife,” German interior design expert Shirin Frangoul-Brückner, managing director of Atelier Bruckner, who participated in the interior design of Tutankhamun’s gallery, told Arab News.

Tutankhamun’s iconic golden mask saw visitors gather in awe, while seldom-seen artifacts like the huge coffin of the Golden King are also on display. The mummies of his two daughters, born prematurely, are also housed in the gallery.

The mummies of Tutankhamun's two daughters, born prematurely, are also housed in the gallery. (Arab News Photo)

Another fascinating draw are the solar boats of King Khufu, who reigned during the 26th century B.C. The story of their discovery began in 1951, when then-Chief Inspector of Antiquities at Giza Mohamed Zaki Nour commissioned Antiquities Service architect Kamal Al-Mallakh to tidy up the south side of the Great Pyramid. In May 1954, upon removing the original enclosure wall of the pyramid complex, two sealed pits were uncovered.

The transportation of King Khufu’s boats to the GEM complex took approximately 72 hours and began on August 5, 2021. The gallery’s four floors provide a fresh approach to typical museum displays, with the first three levels offering a complete tour around the boat for an engaging visitor experience.