The evangelist Franklin Graham has told Premier he doesn't believe the fires ravaging parts of California are God's judgement on the material culture of Hollywood.

At least 11 people have died and tens of thousands of others have been displaced across wealthy neighbourhoods such as Pacific Palisades and Malibu. The homes of Mel Gibson, Paris Hilton, Sir Anthony Hopkins and John Goodman are among the celebrities whose homes have been destroyed. 

Rev Graham, who is president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse, was speaking as teams of crisis-trained chaplains are being deployed to the Los Angeles area to help support those affected.

He said: “People have lost everything. A lot of people are asking ‘Why?’, and that’s a hard question to answer. We want to reassure them of God’s love – that He cares for them and that He hasn’t turned His back on them.

"I think we have these storms in life, and because we have TV, and because we have social media, and every iPhone now is a broadcast quality video camera, we see a lot more today than we did 20 years ago or 40 years ago. And so whether the fires are worse today than 100 years ago, I don't know, but we see it, and it's all around us.

  "The reality is we're going to have more storms like this. It's not going to get less and the most important thing that we as Christians can do is make sure everyone understands that God loves them. And that when storms like this come, it's not God's judgement. I don't believe that for a second. We know that God loves us.

 "Could God be judging Hollywood? I don't know, but I don't think so. The question is, do we know the Lord Jesus Christ? Are we prepared to stand before Him? If our house was burned and we were burned up in it, would we go into His presence? Would God receive us? And the only way we can be sure is by confessing our sins and asking for His forgiveness and by faith, believing on the name of the Lord Jesus, Christ, who took our sins and died on a cross, He was buried, and on the third day, God raised him to life. And if we're willing to believe that, just accept that by faith and ask Christ into our hearts, then God will forgive our sins. We can have that assurance, knowing that whatever storms come our way in life, we'll be prepared to stand before God."

Chaplains from the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team are working alongside Samaritan’s Purse to address the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of those who have been affected.

“The images coming out of California look like scenes out of a Hollywood movie – yet they show the real-life horror that the people of the Los Angeles area are experiencing today. There’s been so much devastation already and the fires continue to burn,” said Josh Holland, international director of the BG-RRT. “The Billy Graham Rapid Response team crisis-trained chaplains have already begun ministering at local shelters, providing prayer and encouragement to those who have lost everything.”