Jennifer Garner lost a friend in the L.A. fires: ‘My heart bleeds’

Jennifer Garner is mourning the loss of her community to the Los Angeles fires, including a loved one who did not survive the disaster.

The Alias actress opened up about the devastating wildfire sweeping through Pacific Palisades in an emotional interview with MSNBC on Friday. “I did lose a friend, and for our church it’s really tender, so I don’t feel like I should talk about her yet,” Garner said. “Yeah, I did lose a friend who did not get out in time.”

The Palisades Fire on the west side of Los Angeles County has resulted in five confirmed deaths so far, while the simultaneous Eaton Fire in Altadena in the mideast section of the county has resulted in six fatalities, reports NBC.

Garner indicated that her residence is still standing but that countless friends have lost their houses over the past week. “My heart bleeds for my friends,” she said. “I can think of 100 families, and there are 5,000 homes lost. I can just write out a list of 100 friends who lost their homes. It’s just like, I feel almost guilty walking through my house. Just, you know, what can I do? How can I help? What can I offer? What do I have to offer with these hands and these walls and the safety that I have?”

The actress jumped into action by volunteering with Chef José Andrés, whose nonprofit World Central Kitchen is providing meals to victims of the fires. “We want to get our hands into working somehow to be helpful, and because of my work with Save the Children, we have a relationship with Chef,” Garner explained. “And I was able to just say, ‘Can I be with you for the day? What can I do to help? Put me to work.'” (World Central Kitchen’s meal distribution sites can be found here.)

Garner reflected on all that the Palisades community has lost in the wake of the fires, which have destroyed more than 5,000 structures so far. “My best friend’s house was down the street,” the Daredevil star recalled. “They had a gong in their front yard. There were so many kids that played in the street, and they would hit the gong at the end of the day and call them home, just like neighborhoods across the country. It is not some faraway place that you can’t reach. This is the street we run down on 5Ks. This is where the little fire truck — God bless our firefighters — this is where the firetruck goes on the Fourth of July parade. This is a neighborhood.”

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Later in the interview, Garner reiterated that the Palisades Fire has affected more than affluent entertainers. “The Palisades feels like a little neighborhood. It’s almost like Sesame Street, right?” she said. “You know the people who are serving you food. You know the people. You care about each other. There’s a reciprocity here, and there’s a real love here, and we’ve gotta take care of them. And I can think of people who work at these places that I’ve been in touch with who — their parents lost their homes, they lost their homes, they lost the place [where] they work.”

Garner ended the interview with a hopeful message. “The people are strong, and the sense of community is strong,” she said. “We will look after each other, and that is still here. That’s stronger than ever.”

Watch Garner’s full interview with MSNBC above. 

Click here for more information on ways to support victims of the California wildfires.