The wildfires in Northern and Southern California have devastated the state with thousands of acres of damage, tens of thousands of people evacuated, and at least 31 lives lost. Included in those affected are celebrities such as Miley Cyrus, Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson, and Gerard Butler who, among many others, lost their homes in the blaze. Despite all the loss, there has been some good news. Director Guillermo del Toro’s collection stored in what he calls Bleak House has been spared.
In a series of tweets in both English and Spanish, del Toro announced his evacuation on November 9 as the fire approached Malibu. Despite the danger he seemed to remain in positive spirits. “Bleak House and the collection may be endangered but the gift of life remains,” he said in one tweet.
Bleak House is not actually where del Toro lives (he lives nearby), but it is home to his collection of more than 700 pieces of art, props, and memorabilia. He has everything from concept sketches from Disney’s Fantasia to figures from his Blade 2 to a life-sized statue of Edgar Allan Poe. These serve as his inspiration from both his own films and the movies he hopes to make in the future. In 2016, del Toro let fans inside his Bleak House with a curated exhibit that traveled to museums around North America showing off some of his items. Looking at pictures from the collection you can almost imagine the inside of the fantastical and dark director’s mind.
Luckily, del Toro’s collection has been spared by the Woosley fire. He tweeted about returning to his home to find it still standing with only some minor smoke damage.
Del Toro thanked everyone for their concern and praised the work of the firefighters. He noted how lucky he was saying, “I am aware about how much this fire has taken, how much has been lost, this is humbling and a blessing.”