HOLLYWOOD—Actress Anne Heche, 53, who sustained serious burns and injuries after crashing her vehicle into a Los Angeles home that later went up in flames was pronounced brain dead on Friday, August 12.  According to reports, Anne’s team declared her brain dead, after suffering an anoxic brain injury, but her heart is still functioning and she is on life support to allow her organs to be donated to viable candidates. Under California law if an individual has not brain function or deemed brain dead, they are declared dead in the state.

On Friday, August 5, at approximately 12:01 p.m. officials responded to a call after a vehicle plowed through a home at 1766 Walgrove Avenue in Mar Vista. The car erupted into flames causing a structure fire. Heche was inside a Blue Mini Cooper that has been captured on video speeding thru several streets striking two cars in the process before colliding into the home. The actress sustained severe burns to her body and sustained critical brain injuries as a result.

TMZ reported that Heche was captured on video driving erratically down several streets before the collision occurred. The LAPD is seeking a warrant to draw blood from the actress to see if she was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash. TMZ reported that the LAPD discovered Anne was under the influence of cocaine and possible fentanyl at the time of the incident.

An LAFD spokesperson described the home as being a two-story, 738-square-foot home built in 1952. It took 59 firefighters, 65 minutes to extinguish the fire and extract Heche from the car.

Paramedics took the actress to an area hospital where she was listed in critical condition. The tenant of the home vacated with her dogs from a side entrance and were not harmed during the collision.

According to her podcast with actress, Heather Duffy, Heche, shared with her listeners on August 2 that she was just, “having a bad day,” and “I don’t know what happened.  Some days just suck, and I don’t know if you ever have them [but] some days, those no good, very bad days, just end up like this.”

Heche joked with Duffy on their podcast about drinking vodka and chasing it with wine. The podcast has since been taken off of the internet.

She previously starred on the legal drama “All Rise” for CBS. She previously dated talk show host and comedian Ellen DeGeneres and dated actor Thomas Jane. An exact cause of the collision is still under investigation.  She also appeared in the films “Six Days, Seven Nights” with Harrison Ford and the thriller “I Know What You Did Last Summer.” She also appeared in the 1998 remake “Psycho” alongside Julianne Moore and Vince Vaughn. Other notable film credits include “Volcano,” “Donnie Brasco” and “Wag the Dog.”

A GoFundMe has been established for the woman whose home was damaged during the collision, Lynne Mishele. Over $80,000 has been raised of a $100,000 goal as of Monday, August 8.

“Lynne lives with her beautiful pups Bree and Rueban, and tortoise Marley in the Mar Vista home that was destroyed this week by a car driving into the home at a high rate of speed, catching the house on fire. Lynne and her family very narrowly escaped physical harm, and for that we are very, very grateful. The home, however, was completely burned – with 59 firefighters taking 65 minutes to extinguish the flames – and immediately red-tagged by the LAFD, necessitating that Lynne leave the place she loves. Even more distressing is that Lynne lost her entire lifetime of possessions, mementos, all equipment for her business including her laptop and iPad, all of her clothing and basic necessities, and all household items. With firefighters’ help, she was able to pull a few damaged sentimental belongings from the wreckage. Everything else is gone,” reads a post from the GoFundMe Page.

Anne married cameraman Coleman Laffoon who she met after her split with DeGeneres in 2000, and they had one child, Homer, 20. She later had a second child, Atlas, 13, with actor James Tupper and they split in 2018.