California was shaken when Skywalker Ranch – an immortal symbol of world cinema – turned into a sea of fire. George Lucas, the father of Star Wars, was trapped in the basement when the fire engulfed the entire villa and precious film archive. Firefighters confirmed that the rescue attempt was unsuccessful, leaving behind one of the biggest tragedies in Hollywood history.
The scene was an apocalyptic picture. The fire raged fiercely, thick black smoke billowed dozens of meters high, the sound of explosions from old film reels shook the entire Marin County hill. Witnesses recounted in panic: “We saw flames bursting out of the basement windows, then the whole house was like a fireball. The sound of glass breaking, the sound of wood collapsing, and then… no one could get in.” Fans present outside could only cry, many knelt down, holding up Star Wars posters amid the flashing lights of paparazzi.
Police immediately sealed off the scene, while firefighters struggled for hours. Despite the torrential rain, the flames engulfed everything. Paramedics were on standby, but when the basement door was broken, George Lucas was unconscious. CPR was performed in desperation, oxygen masks pressed tightly against his coal-dust-covered face, the count of “one, two, three” echoed through the smoke and the fan noise of the rescue helicopter. The ambulance siren wailed through the night, rushing straight to San Francisco General Hospital.
In the ICU, the atmosphere was suffocating. Red monitors flashed repeatedly, doctors continuously gave electric shocks, and “Clear!” echoed. An inside source revealed: “We fought until the last moment, but his heart did not return.” The medical team bowed their heads and cried when the monitor screen went black. George Lucas was officially gone, leaving an unfillable void.
The news spread like a thunderbolt around the world. Lucas’s family cried, and colleagues from Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola, Mark Hamill, and Harrison Ford all said their goodbyes. Hollywood was plunged into mourning, and fans around the world were in an unprecedented state of shock. The hashtags #PrayForLucas, #GoodbyeGeorge, #SkywalkerRanch exploded, covering social media in just a few hours.
The double incident happened right outside the hospital: thousands of fans gathered to light candles in memory, jostling each other, causing part of the iron fence to collapse, injuring many people. The sound of ambulance sirens sounded again, pushing the mournful atmosphere to a climax.
The California night was lit up by a sea of white candles. On a giant LED screen placed right at the hospital gate, an image of George Lucas smiling with a classic camera appeared, with the words: “1944–2025: The Force Will Be With You Always.” Fans knelt down, many hugged Lightsaber models, and burst into tears. A trembling boy whispered: “He is the one who created my childhood.”
George Lucas is gone not just as a man, but also as the memories of millions of generations. Skywalker Ranch – the heart of Star Wars – is now a pile of ashes. The world has lost a great storyteller, and Hollywood is forever without a shining star. Tonight, the entire planet bows to his immortal legacy, in flickering candlelight and a whisper: “May the Force be with him.”
