The mansion of Oscar and Golden Globe winner Mel Gibson has burned to the ground. The creator of The Passion of the Christ revealed that his home was worth $14.5 million.
The actor shared that he experienced a deep shock, as everything he had collected over the past 15 years was destroyed in the fire. “Nothing survived except the chimney and a few roof tiles. You can’t even walk through the area—there are nails and debris everywhere. The cars are gone, everything burned to ashes… I’ve never seen a fire like this. It felt as if someone started it on purpose,” Gibson said.
Despite the loss of possessions tied to cherished memories and significant moments in his life, Mel took a philosophical view of the situation. “Now, I am no longer burdened by them,” the actor said bitterly. However, the chickens he raises with his wife miraculously survived. Gibson joked that at least his feathered companions didn’t end up as grilled chicken.
Mel compared the devastation caused by the fire to the bombing of Dresden during World War II. The U.S. and British air raids on Dresden occurred from February 13–15, 1945. “I’ve never seen a community so thoroughly burned. Everything can just be swept into urns. My house looked like Dresden. But everything can be replaced—it’s just stuff. The best news is that all my loved ones are alive and well,” Gibson concluded.
