As record-breaking wildfires continue to sweep across France, forcing mass evacuations and burning thousands of hectares of forest, one of the country’s high-profile celebrity properties has found itself in the path of danger. Hollywood A-lister George Clooney and his wife, prominent human rights attorney Amal Clooney, have voluntarily evacuated their sprawling private estate near the southeastern French town of Brignoles after a fast-spreading wildfire ignited in the area Wednesday evening.
The evacuation comes amid a devastating week for French firefighting teams, who have been working around the clock to contain what are already being called the worst wildfires the nation has seen in modern history. The largest of the active blazes, located in southwest France, has already destroyed more than 42,000 hectares of land – a total area that exceeds the geographic size of the major U.S. city of Detroit. The Brignoles blaze, while smaller in scale, has already burned 130 hectares of land and forced more than 600 local residents to leave their homes, though most were permitted to return to their properties by Thursday.
The Clooney family, who share 9-year-old twins, own the 170-hectare Domaine du Canadel estate near Brignoles. The property includes a historic 18th-century manor house, a natural pond, a swimming pool, and working vineyards. Local authorities confirmed Thursday that the couple was not under a mandatory evacuation order, but chose to leave the estate as a proactive safety precaution as the fire advanced closer to their land.
In a statement shared with Brignoles mayor, which was later published by People magazine and verified as authentic by officials, the Clooneys shared their uncertainty about the fate of their home. “At this point we have no idea whether our beautiful home makes it through this terrible moment,” the couple wrote. They extended their primary concern to local residents, saying they hoped all of their neighbors remained unharmed and safe.
Reaffirming their ties to the local community, the pair added: “Amal and I are committed to making sure that whatever happens to our village, we are part of this community and we’ll be part of making it whole.”
As of Thursday, 270 firefighters remained on the ground battling the Brignoles blaze, supported by four water-bombing aircraft to slow the fire’s spread. Four firefighters have already sustained injuries while fighting the fire, according to official updates. Most of the 600 evacuated local residents have been allowed to return to their properties as containment efforts progress.