Thieves target Halle’s home as she flees blaze
HOLLYWOOD star Halle Berry returned home to wildfire-ravaged Malibu to find her beachfront mansion had been plundered by pirates.
The £6.3million property was raided after the Oscar-winning actress and her two young children were among 295,000 residents ordered to evacuate the area.
Police believe they fled the scene in a boat filled with artwork, jewellery and “other valuables” worth tens of thousands of dollars.
A friend and neighbour said Halle, 52, who starred in the 2007 hit film Things We Lost In The Fire, was “deeply relieved” to learn her home had not been destroyed by the flames.
But he added: “As soon as she walked through the front door, she realised something was terribly wrong. The place was not completely ransacked but it was a mess and she immediately noticed a hallway painting was missing.
“Insurance assessors are still working out the value of everything that was taken.
“The pirates were clever – they realised the wildfire would give them all the cover they needed to pull off their heist.”
The entire neighbourhood was devastated by the Woolsey Fire which started in November. The
RANSACKED: Pirates raided the Malibu home, above, of Halle, inset
blaze, which raged for almost two weeks, tore through almost 97,000 acres of land, claimed three lives and destroyed the homes of actor Gerard Butler and singers Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke.
Some celebrities went online to warn would-be thieves to stay away after mandatory evacuation orders were issued.
Pop star Pink’s husband, former motocross racing champion Carey Hart, even posted photos showing armed men – some wearing masks – standing beside a sign that reads: “Looters will be shot on site (sic).”
Sources close to Halle – who lives with daughter Nahla, 10, and fiveyear-old son Maceo – believe she may decide to sell up and move.
One said yesterday: “It was terrifying enough having to flee the fire. But even though she has a security staff that shadows her and the kids wherever they go, she no longer feels safe there.”
A spokeswoman for Halle declined to comment on “personal matters”.
Meanwhile, Rihanna is selling her Hollywood Hills home after being hit by burglars for the second time in seven months.
Police have arrested four people following the latest break-in at the singer’s mansion.
A close friend said: “She never wants to set foot in there again.
“The place has nothing but bad memories so she’s desperate to sell it and put these traumatic experiences behind her.”