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Ben Affleck's block is a hotbed for all kinds of authority figures lately ... 'cause now the military is hanging outside his Westside L.A. home -- days after cops and FBI agents were seen around the house amid wildfires in the area.

The actor was photographed returning home Thursday ... and, parked just outside his house was a sand-colored military Humvee -- outfitted with a turret to mount a large machine gun if necessary.

Check out the pics ... Ben drives past like nothing's out of the ordinary -- even though a man in uniform is standing outside the vehicle in BA's affluent neighborhood.

Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco are doing what they can to give back to those who've put their lives on the line amid the Los Angeles wildfires ... volunteering in person to feed a crowd of first responders.

The pop star dressed down and masked up to hand out sandwiches to firefighters and police officers Thursday, after multiple infernos wreaked havoc throughout the City of Angels ... as the fight continues.

The Disney Channel alum and her fiancé oversaw meal service for the dedicated firefighters and cops, and she also gave a shout-out to the brave men and women.

A lottery win in Florida went from a dream come true to a literal nightmare when an 83-year-old woman was robbed of her winnings ... moments after cashing in the prize.

Check it out ... surveillance footage released by the Orange County Sheriff's Office shows the moment the senior was allegedly confronted by suspect Diego Stalin Tavarez Fleury.

The unidentified woman is approached by the suspect just as she exits a store in Orlando Wednesday morning with her cash prize in hand. It's unclear what he says to the woman to get her attention -- but then he makes a grab for the money.

The Los Angeles wildfires have left thousands of people displaced, businesses charred, and entire neighborhoods obliterated ... and they're not even fully contained yet.

According to the latest updates ... the highest red flag level of high winds and fire conditions, labeled a “Particularly Dangerous Situation,” was declared by the National Weather Service Wednesday.

The Palisades Fire, which has destroyed massive chunks of the famed coastal community, currently stands at 19% containment -- after burning nearly 24,000 acres.

Prince William was cheesin' big time at a royal outing, just a day after his wife, Kate Middleton, revealed to the world she's in cancer remission.

William attended the inaugural Emergency and Critical Care Conference in Birmingham, England on Wednesday ... rocking his new title as Patron of the College of Paramedics -- a role that hits home after everything Kate's been through.

William mingled with College of Paramedics leaders from all corners of the field -- the whole initiative dedicated to making sharp calls in high-pressure situations. William likely drew on his experience as a Royal Air Force search-and-rescue pilot and with the East Anglian Air Ambulance crew to connect with the paramedics.

A man was arrested in Azusa -- a city just east of Pasadena where one of the largest fires in L.A. is raging -- Friday ... and, cops claim he may have tried to start another fire.

Azusa PD tells TMZ  ... officers were dispatched to a local park just before midnight in regards to a brush fire -- where they claim a witness told them the man who lit the fire was still at the scene.

Officers located the suspect -- a "transient" named Jose Carranza-Escobar -- who they claim admitted to lighting the fire. Cops then arrested Carranza-Escobar.

T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach agree David Muir wearing a clothespin isn't a good look ... but, they say it might not be his fault -- 'cause there are always too many cooks in the kitchen.

The two former ABC News anchors talked about the viral moment on their show "Amy & T.J." in an episode titled "Does This Fire Make Me Look Fat?"

Holmes & Robach take a couple shots at the move ... claiming it will certainly come off as insensitive to many people who have lost homes in the Pacific Palisades wildfire and other Los Angeles-area blazes.

It was a mesmerizing and frightening moment Friday night, when a fire tornado was whipped up ... as massive blazes continued to destroy portions of Los Angeles.

The tornado -- or "firenado" -- was filmed by Fox 11 on the northern flank of the Palisades fire -- as winds whipped the massive flames into the stunning weather phenomenon.

Fox11's Adam Krueger marveled at the moment ... while explaining it occurs when a breeze meets up with an updraft -- causing a vortex, which picks up flames, resulting in the firenado.

Jennifer Garner is like an untold number of L.A. residents who live in the fire zones and feel guilty they were spared when so many of their friends and neighbors were not.

Garner, standing in front of burned-down structures in the Pacific Palisades, told MSNBC alongside chef José Andrés, "I did lose a friend and for our church, it’s really tender ... so I don’t feel like I should talk about her yet. But yeah, I did lose a friend who did not get out in time."

She went on to say she could write out a list of 100 friends who lost everything in the fire, adding, "I feel almost guilty walking through my house. What can I do? How can I help? What can I offer? What do I have to offer with these hands and these walls and the safety that I have?"

Paris Hilton is forking over a nice chunk of change to help people impacted by the wildfires ravaging Los Angeles.

The socialite posted a message Friday to Instagram, guaranteeing she’ll donate $100,000 to support anyone who was displaced when their homes were burned to the ground. She'll also match up to an additional $100,000 from other contributors.

Furthermore, Paris says her heart is with those who not only lost their homes like she did, but also their most cherished possessions and sense of stability.

Paris Hilton's sharing the devastation of the Pacific Palisades Fire, returning to the pile of rubble that was her Malibu home -- and promising L.A. will rise stronger after this tragedy.

The socialite reality star shared a clip of herself walking through the ruins where her house once stood. The walls came crashing down in the blaze, and little pockets of fire are still smoldering -- but there's nothing left to destroy.

Paris wrote a long caption Thursday night to accompany the video, calling the heartbreak indescribable, and adding it feels like her heart shattered into a million pieces.

David Muir's new friend has his back ... no, it ain't the clothespin he's used to bunch up his coat -- it's a fellow TV pro, a weatherman admitting he does the same thing.

Greg Dutra -- an Emmy-winning meteorologist who works for the ABC affiliate in Chicago -- took to IG to defend the face of his network's national news desk after people online roasted the star for using a clothespin to seemingly make his coat fit his hunky frame better.

The veteran weatherman posted a photo to Instagram Friday taken from behind him in the middle of a live shot ... and, his coat is also cinched by a clothespin -- a move he says is pretty standard when reporting the weather.

The Kardashians fled their homes in Hidden Hills after a dangerous wildfire broke out in the nearby area ... threatening their neighborhood.

Sources tell TMZ ... as of Thursday night, Kim, Kourtney, Khloe, Kylie, Kendall, Kris and Rob all left their homes. The family followed the mandatory evacuation order that was issued due to the Kenneth Fire, which rapidly spread across 1,000 acres in a few hours.

While the evacuation order has now been lifted, our sources say it's unclear whether the Kardashians have returned home.

Whitney Cummings will defend L.A. at all costs ... readying for war "Game of Thrones"-style -- with a wooden sword in hand, ready to do battle.

The actress and stand-up comic shared multiple clips to her Instagram Story detailing her eventful evening Thursday night ... beginning when she says a friend told her people in her neighborhood caught a guy trying to set fires on a back hill -- saying she thinks they caught the guy in Woodland Hills.

Cummings seems to be referring to a viral incident that's circulating on social media ... featuring residents holding down a man with a blowtorch before calling the police -- though it's unclear if this individual actually did anything Whitney's claiming.

1/10 10:06 AM PT -- Hopkins just took to Instagram to address the devastation of the wildfires.

Another major celeb had his property ravaged by the Pacific Palisades wildfire ... this time it's actor Anthony Hopkins, whose home has burned to the ground.

Video obtained by TMZ shows the smoky remains of Sir Anthony's mansion, burned to its very foundation and reduced to charred rubble.

As we've reported, a ton of celebs -- along with a slew of other residents -- have seen their properties destroyed by the wildfires spreading across L.A. this week from the Palisades to Eaton to Pasadena and beyond.

Mel Gibson's Malibu home is literally a pile of ashes, and yet he's got an incredibly lighthearted, positive attitude about it ... joking he's "never seen a place so perfectly burnt."

Mel's 6,500 square foot residence was torched in the Pacific Palisades Fire that was fueled by 100 MPH wind gusts ... all while Mel was out of town. The actor/director was on News Nation Thursday night talking about the disaster that struck while he was doing Joe Rogan's podcast.

He says he was "ill at ease because I knew my neighborhood was on fire" while he was talking to Rogan. He says the Santa Ana winds were just starting to kick up on Tuesday when he took off for Texas -- but you gotta see him described the devastation.