Sean Penn makes a controversial comparison to the devastating aftermath of the LA fires

Sean Penn compared the devastation in Los Angeles caused by ongoing fires to damage in the Middle East in an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Monday night.

“This has been a worst-case scenario concern for everyone in the area for a long time,” the Oscar-winning actor, 64, told Cooper in an interview in Pacific Palisades, an area charred by the fire.

The Santa Monica, Calif., native continued, “It’s kind of, you know, it’s Gaza west up there,” in a reference to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

The Milk star explained how shocking it was to see the fires quickly break out and wipe out towns, even in areas where they are an annual concern.

“We know there will be wildfires in this area … so people make a choice when they live in this area,” the Mystic River star said. ‘But for the people who live in especially Pacific Palisades and Altadena and so on, this is so unexpected.’

The Oscar-winning star defended the response amid sharp criticism directed at top officials such as California Governor Gavin Newsome and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.

“Um, I don’t prescribe too much to grievance calls in terms of reaction,” the Fast Times at Ridgemont High star said. ‘Actually I thank every single firefighter, we have great firefighters from Cal Fire and LA City, LA County and all those that have come in.

“But when you have the kind of winds that we had, I don’t think humanity has come up with a solution that’s bigger and more powerful than us.”

The Dead Man Walking actor said it was gut-wrenching to see a long-standing community wiped out by the flames.

“It’s really something to see a whole legacy of a community,” he said. ‘I think of these nine-year-old kids who would meet each other on the corner every day on their bikes, who know every corner and every shop and shopkeeper – and it’s all gone – and so it’s more personal in that sense.

‘I am very, very immediately familiar. I won’t grow to be familiar with this area – so many people we all know and love lost their homes.’

Amid a Monday night death toll of 24, the I Am Sam actor said he was thankful there were no casualties in line with the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, where the estimated death toll was about 220,000 people, according to United Nations.

“Thank God not, you know, the number of lives lost that we had in Port-au-Prince,” said the actor, who was involved in relief efforts 15 years ago.

Penn also talks about the efforts of his nonprofit organization CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort) his made in the wake of the fires, including the distribution of cash vouchers, N95 masks and hygiene kits to people in need.

“We were on the ground day one working in the primary shelter at the Pasadena Civic Center to address immediate needs,” Penn said, “which will especially be cash assistance, which are two kinds of categories of that — those who can apply and those who need for navigation on the application.

‘And then there are those who, for various reasons, do not have a social security number, for which we can use some of our funds.’

He added: ‘It just takes a slow closing of the eyes to think about what it would mean if everything is suddenly gone.

‘Along with of course the emotional trauma of it – so the cash is a necessary freedom to just get by day by day.’

Officials said Monday that the death toll had reached at least 24 people, according to APadding that the total number of victims was expected to rise during ongoing searches for missing persons.

Officials said Monday that the Palisades fire was 11 percent contained, while the Eaton fire was 27 percent contained, after decimating an estimated area that eclipsed 62 square miles.

The National Weather Service said in red flag warnings that 50 mph winds will continue to worsen conditions Monday through Wednesday, with an expected peak on Tuesday.

On Monday, President Joe Biden called on Congress to “step up” and earmark the tens of billions of dollars it will take to rebuild the affected areas. He said the federal government plans to pay for expenses over the next 180 days.

The president said at the White House that firefighters and first responders were the ‘angels’ amid their efforts to put out the flames, while Vice President Kamala Harris said the aftermath of the fires was ‘truly heartbreaking’.