The American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which awards the Oscars, has postponed the announcement of the nominees from January 17 to January 19 due to the wildfires in California.
Academy CEO Bill Kramer said in a letter to members that voting, which opened on Wednesday, would be extended by two days, to January 14. He said this “will give Academy members more time to vote.”
In addition, the Critics Choice Awards ceremony, which was to take place on January 11-12, has been postponed until January 26. The rescheduled event will occur at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California. It will be broadcast live on E! and around the world.
This wildfire and the powerful gale-force winds rapidly fanning the flames have caused serious danger in the Los Angeles area, where the homes of celebrities are located, forcing dozens of people to evacuate.
7,500 firefighters are extinguishing the fires, which have left 400,000 people without electricity and destroyed about 1,000 buildings. More than 100,000 people are forced to evacuate from Eton, Hearst, and the elite Pacific Palisades neighborhood.
According to preliminary estimates, the damage caused by wildfires in the region ranges from $52 billion to $57 billion.
Due to the fires, US President Joe Biden canceled his last foreign trip to Rome and the Vatican due to the fires in California.