As Los Angeles is gripped by wildfires that resemble a Hollywood disaster movie, the city's vast entertainment industry is already counting the costs of yet another drastic setback that its workers can ill-afford.

Actors, crew, writers and producers have lost their homes; film and television productions have been temporarily halted; and calls are mounting for Hollywood's award season to be canceled.

It comes with Los Angeles's entertainment sector -- worth $115 billion to the region's economy -- already in dire straits, as some film and TV productions abandon the city over high costs. The Covid-19 pandemic and recent labor upheavals have also taken their toll in recent years.

"Hollywood, as everyone, was hit by the pandemic with severe consequences. The strikes, obviously, affected the industry, probably forever," said Marc Malkin, senior culture and events editor for trade magazine Variety.

"Add the fires to that, and Hollywood is just being hit over and over again."

Stars including Anthony Hopkins, Mel Gibson and Billy Crystal have lost........

© International Business Times