The wildfires currently roaring through southern California may go down as one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history. Firefighters have struggled to contain the flames that have claimed multiple lives, entire communities, and years of cherished memories. Sadly, Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith now joins the thousands of residents who have lost everything to the southern California wildfires.
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Iron Maiden’s Adrian Smith Loses Home; Family Is Safe
After leaving Iron Maiden in 1989, guitarist Adrian Smith started a family with wife Nathalie Dufresne Smith. The pair had three children: a son, Dylan; and twin daughters Natasha and Brittany. At some point, Adrian and Nathalie moved to a house in Malibu, California.
Nathalie Dufresne Smith took to Instagram Friday (Jan. 10) to share the heartbreaking news: Their home was gone. Fortunately, however, the family escaped unscathed.
“We have each other,” she wrote in the caption. “We will start again. #malibustrong Thank-you for your support during these trying times.”
In a Jan. 7 post, Dufresne Smith shared a video of smoke billowing on the horizon. “The fire is right here, the fire marshals are telling us to get out,” she said.
[RELATED: Rapper DDG Learns He Doesn’t Have Fire Insurance as Blazes Threaten Los Angeles Home]
The camera then panned to show Adrian Smith walking toward the house from their car—which, his wife mentions, is loaded up with the Iron Maiden legend’s guitars. Nathalie then asks her husband to check on their next-door neighbor one more time, as the elderly woman was previously refusing to leave. “She’s just being stubborn,” she says.
In another post from the same day, Nathalie shared another video of the smoke encroaching upon the family’s Malibu home. “No, look. I mean, this is definitely coming towards us,” she said. “Now it’s stupid. Now we have to go. Look, it’s just spread up here in the last few seconds. It’s time to go.”
Dufresne Smith made sure to let her followers know that their elderly neighbor also agreed to leave.
Let’s pray for Adrian & Natalie Smith and their family🙏 I’m glad that they are safe, but sadly they have lost their house…#AdrianSmith pic.twitter.com/pUP1d5Wl7U
— Gen Marutani🇯🇵🇺🇸🎸 (@marugen17) January 12, 2025
At Least 16 Confirmed Dead in Los Angeles Wildfires
Sadly, Iron Maiden’s Adrian Smith and his family are far from alone in this heartbreaking loss. A series of deadly wildfires broke out Jan. 7, sending thousands of residents fleeing from their homes.
At least 16 people have died in the Eaton and Palisades fires, according to the Los Angeles Country medical examiner. Officials expect those numbers to rise as investigators can safely begin combing through neighborhoods.
Featured image by Javier Martín/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
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