George and Amal Clooney have evacuated their home in southern France due to raging wildfires that are threatening the region. The couple, along with their nine-year-old twins, Alexander and Ella, were forced to leave their estate in Brignoles, a town in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region.
In a letter to Brignoles mayor Didier Brémond, George Clooney stated that while he and his wife have no idea if their home will survive the fires, they are committed to supporting the town and its residents. "As we evacuate Brignoles we want to emphasise 2 things, first we hope you and the people of our city are safe and second that 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," Clooney wrote in the letter, which was confirmed by his representative to People magazine.
Brémond shared aerial photos of the fires on Facebook, noting that the blaze was less dynamic and progressing slowly due to calmer winds. However, evacuation orders remained in place for affected neighborhoods.
The Clooneys moved to their estate near Brignoles in 2021. The town has a population of just under 18,000. The couple, who were married in 2014, later purchased a larger property near Cannes. George Clooney also recently became a French citizen.
This evacuation comes as the European Union's emergency response chief warned that wildfires could engulf all of Europe in the coming days. Greece, Italy, and Central Europe are expected to face the highest wildfire risk. Maria Zuber, head of the EU's Emergency Response Co-ordination Centre, stated that the situation has been similar to last year's record-breaking wildfire season, with the potential for another record-breaking year.
Wildfires have been spreading across France, Greece, Italy, and Spain. In France, the fires have expanded significantly, with more than 2,200 firefighters and 20 aircraft battling the blazes. The fires in southern France have quadrupled in size, covering an area four times the size of Paris, according to The Associated Press. More than 330,000 people have been forced to evacuate across France and Spain as of Tuesday. Three firefighters have died in Greece while battling fires.
The Clooneys also own properties in Italy, the United Kingdom, Kentucky, and New York City. They have previously expressed admiration for France's privacy laws, which they say allow them to live more privately with their children away from paparazzi.