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Tina Knowles went from celebrating her birthday to mourning the loss of what she called her "sanctuary" in California.
On Thursday, January 9, Knowles posted an Instagram story of dolphins frolicking in the Pacific Ocean. "This is what I was looking at on my birthday this past weekend from my tiny little bungalow on the water in Malibu!" wrote Knowles, who turned 71.
"It was my favorite place, my sanctuary, my sacred Happy Place," she continued, adding, "Now it is gone!"
Multiple fires have ripped through Los Angeles Country, fueled by strong Santa Ana winds as well as dry conditions caused by drought, as Newsweek previously reported. The blazes have destroyed property and caused widespread power outages in the areas under threat.
While Knowles lost her home, she acknowledged the "brave men and women in our fire department who risked their lives in dangerous conditions."
"We thank you for your dedication and bravery and for saving so many lives," she wrote on Instagram. "This could have been so much worse without the dedication of the disaster workers and first responders."
Knowles said she was praying for the loved ones of the at least five victims killed in the fires as well as those who have lost everything they owned.
"I am praying diligently for our beautiful City of Los Angeles!" she also wrote, concluding, "We are resilient though and we will recover! This too shall pass."
Satellite images obtained by Newsweek show the uncontained Palisades Fire alone has destroyed at least 1,000 structures and burned over 17,000 acres so far. The blaze is now considered L.A.'s most destructive wildfire to date.
According to the Los Angeles Times, around 130,000 residents were forced to evacuate their homes as the Palisades, Eaton, Sunset and Hurst Fires burned.
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