I am guessing Jennifer Aniston won’t be knocking on Brad and Angie’s door to seek refuge from the flames that are taking over the Malibu County area. The LG House Malibu has also succumbed to the fire leaving celebrities to briefly pay homage to their summer party palace. Heroes star Hayden Panettiere celebrated her 18th birthday at the house that is currently missing the back and deck.

The fire began early Sunday morning and has taken a rampage over the drought stricken area. Celebs including Nick Nolte, David and Courtney Arquette along with Tom Hanks have all been evacuated.

I can just see them all camping out together. Nick Nolte busting out marshmallows and Tom Hanks leading an uplifting version of kumbaya. But in all seriousness, my heart goes out to those affected by the fire.

Note by Celebitchy: So far at least 39 homes have been lost and thousands are at risk as fires rage across Southern California. The worst damage has been in the Malibu and San Diego areas, and in the Agua Dulce and Canyon Country communities. One person was killed in San Diego and at least 14 were injured. Thousands have been evacuated and firefighters are working against the fast-blowing winds. They say that it could take until Tuesday or Wednesday before all the fires are contained:

Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Stephen Miller said winds were blowing between 35 and 45 mph and firefighters were making a stand between homes and the blaze. “The biggest problem besides the winds is the tremendous amount of people congesting the highways to watch,” he said.

In all, more than a dozen fires raged across the region, forcing thousands of residents to evacuate their homes. At least five firefighters were injured. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in the affected areas.

It was not clear what caused most of the fires, but officials said downed power lines might be to blame for the Malibu and Agua Dulce blazes.

The Malibu fire, which had burned more than 2,200 acres, receded Sunday evening as winds died down there, but fire officials warned that it remained uncontained. “This fire is not over,” Los Angeles County Fire Chief Michael Freeman said in a briefing at a command center in Malibu. “We’re a long way from there at this point.” Firefighters probably would not be able to contain the fire before Tuesday or Wednesday, he said.

The fires around the region were stoked by Santa Ana winds that peaked at hurricane strength. They were fueled by brush and timber that flourished during the wet winter of 2004-05 then was seared by a record drought over the last year.

[LATimes.com via Chicago Tribune]

Here’s a Google map with the fire areas flagged and the contained fires noted, thanks to the LA Times. Header image is of the mansion Castle Kashan in Malibu, which was lost to the fire, also thanks to the LA Times.