Oscar nominations postponed due to California wildfires

The announcement of nominations for the 97th Academy Awards, initially set for January 17, has been postponed to January 19 due to the ongoing wildfires in Southern California.

Variety reports that the Academy informed its members of the change in a Wednesday afternoon email from CEO Bill Kramer.

"We want to offer our deepest condolences to those who have been impacted by the devastating fires across Southern California. So many of our members and industry colleagues live and work in the Los Angeles area, and we are thinking of you," the message stated.

Additionally, the deadline for Oscar nomination voting has been extended by two days, now closing on January 14. Voting for the nearly 10,000 Academy members began on January 8 and was initially set to end on January 12.

Conan O'Brien is slated to host the 2025 Oscars, which will take place on March 2 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

On Wednesday night, a rapidly spreading fire broke out in Hollywood Hills, threatening one of Los Angeles' most iconic locations. Firefighters are still battling multiple major fires that have claimed the lives of five people, forced 100,000 residents to evacuate, and left a trail of destruction from the Pacific Coast to Pasadena.

Several Hollywood celebrities, including Billy Crystal, Mandy Moore, Paris Hilton, and Cary Elwes, were among those who lost their homes to the fires.

ALSO READ: Hollywood stars among many Los Angeles residents affected by devastating wildfires

In addition, film premieres for "Unstoppable," "Wolf Man," "Better Man," and "The Pitt" have been cancelled. The SAG Awards nominations, which were originally planned for a live event, were instead released via a press release.

Furthermore, the Critics Choice Awards, set for January 12 in Santa Monica, have been rescheduled to January 26.