Ah, California—a state where the taxes are sky-high, the streets are lined with tents, and apparently, your local fire department doesn’t have the “assets” to send a single truck to stop a $3 million home from going up in flames.
Enter Spencer Pratt, reality TV’s infamous troublemaker, who’s now threatening to sue the state of California after wildfires claimed his home while emergency services seemingly ghosted him. Yes, the guy best known for stirring up drama on The Hills might actually have a valid point here.
According to Pratt, he called 911 as flames approached his Los Angeles-area mansion, begging for help. His request? Send one fire truck to his street. That’s it. The response? A polite (and devastating) no, because they “didn’t have the assets.”
Really, California? You can spend billions on high-speed rail no one asked for, but when it comes to defending taxpayers’ homes, you’re suddenly fresh out of resources? Makes you wonder where all that tax money is actually going.
Pratt, who watched the whole nightmare unfold via security cameras, shared his frustration, saying the fire trucks never showed. Not one. The fire department didn’t even unlock his gate, leaving his home to burn to the ground. Of course, Pratt documented the tragedy on Snapchat, because in 2023, even disasters need to be content-optimized.
“I’m watching our house burn down on the security cameras,” he told fans, filming himself from his car. As if things weren’t already surreal, his wife Heidi Montag later posted about how her son’s bed burned in the shape of a heart, calling it “a sign of how much love was in this house.” Okay, that’s touching, but maybe a working fire hose would’ve been a better omen?
The cherry on top? In the midst of all this devastation, Pratt turned to TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat—not just to document the loss of his home but to rally fans behind Montag’s decade-old flop of an album, Superficial. And somehow, it worked. Yes, Heidi Montag’s Superficial hit No. 1 on iTunes in America, dethroning the likes of Bad Bunny, because why not? “Who needs a house, who needs clothes, who needs anything but this level of clout?” Pratt quipped. Call it gallows humor or just peak Spencer Pratt, but his ability to spin a personal disaster into a viral victory is as absurd as it is on-brand.
Heidi Montag’s 2010 record, “Superficial” is now No. 1 on iTunes after her husband, Spencer Pratt, asked fans to stream the album to help generate income after their house burned down in the Palisades fire. https://t.co/nv8Uv8Hrdz pic.twitter.com/TkrMZ1ngnq
— Variety (@Variety) January 13, 2025
Still, beneath the snark, this whole situation exposes a deeper issue. California’s inability to manage its wildfire response, particularly for high-tax-paying residents, isn’t just frustrating—it’s infuriating. Homeowners like Pratt may seem like easy targets for ridicule, but his lawsuit could force some overdue accountability.
After all, what’s the point of paying millions in property taxes if the state can’t even deliver basic emergency services? This isn’t just a story about a reality star losing his mansion; it’s a symptom of a larger problem in a state that’s losing the confidence of its residents.
On @TMZLive, @SpencerPratt tells Harvey and Charles how he, Heidi and their family are doing after losing everything in the #Palisades fire, and gets real about how the weight of starting life from zero and figuring out a way to provide for his family is hitting him hard. pic.twitter.com/m1BTXZMSYK
— TMZ (@TMZ) January 13, 2025
For now, Spencer Pratt is left standing in front of the charred remains of his home, making TikToks and doubling down on his legal threats. Sure, he’s dramatic, but can you blame him? When you pay California-level taxes and end up with zero fire trucks and a pile of ashes, you’d probably want some answers, too. In true Pratt fashion, he’s going to keep the cameras rolling. Maybe if the state cared as much about fighting fires as it does about regulating straws, his house would still be standing.