Why the FBI asked Ben Affleck for help amid the LA fires

Over the weekend, Ben Affleck was visited by agents from the FBI and LAPD at his Brentwood home as the Palisades Fire raged nearby.

According to photos obtained by Page Six, authorities were seen outside her front door. An FBI spokesperson said members of the agency’s Ground Intercept Task Force were “conducting activities in the Palisades Fire area related to unauthorized drone activity.”

A source also told Page Six that the FBI team visited Affleck’s home to see if the actor had CCTV footage of a private drone that damaged a “super scooper,” l one of the firefighter planes battling the fires raging around Los Angeles.

On Thursday, CBS News and other media outlets reported that a private drone collided with a “super scooper” while working to put out the Palisades fire. The raging fire, fueled by a windstorm, has so far killed eight people, destroyed more than 5,300 homes, businesses and other structures and burned more than 23,000 acres.

Laura Eimiller, a spokeswoman for the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, told CBS News on Sunday that the drone violated temporary flight restrictions issued by the Federal Aviation Administration following the fires.

As the FBI investigated unauthorized drone activity during the fires, agents and police can be seen in the area, visiting local homes, said the spokesperson who spoke to Page Six.

Last week, Affleck was photographed Tuesday walking away from his $20 million home as he was forced to evacuate due to the rapid Palisades fire. Page Six and other media outlets reported that the actor visited the nearby Brentwood home of his ex-wife, Jennifer Garner, where she lives with their three children, Violet, 19, Seraphina, 16, and Samuel , 12 years old.

Affleck’s house has so far been undamaged and he was able to visit it the next day. But it doesn’t seem like he’s come back.

“Ben’s house is still under an evacuation order, but he is very happy that his property is safe for the time being,” a source told Page Six. “Ben knows a lot of people who have unfortunately lost their homes. He saw a lot of damage, and it’s beyond tragic. …Ben contacts everyone he can to help him.

Originally published: January 13, 2025 at 11:31 a.m. PST