George Clooney and his wife leave France due to devastating wildfires

George Clooney and his wife Amal Clooney have fled their luxury home near the southeastern town of Brignoles, France, as one of the worst wildfires in recorded history ravages the country.

Authorities confirmed the incident on Thursday (July 30).

France has been battling one of the most devastating wildfires in recent history for a week. The largest blaze in the country's southwest has already burned about 42,000 hectares (103,000 acres) of forest - an area larger than the entire city of Detroit in the US.

George Clooney and Amal Clooney own a vast estate called Domaine du Canadelle near Brignoles, which was engulfed in flames on Wednesday evening (July 29).

According to People magazine, in a letter to the mayor of Brignoles, the Clooneys said, “We have no idea at this time whether our beautiful home will be saved in this critical moment.”

In the letter, they also wrote, asking for the safety of their neighbors, “Amal and I are committed to this – no matter what happens in our village, we will remain part of this community and will be fully committed to normalizing the situation.”

Local authorities have confirmed the authenticity of the letter. The mayor of Brignoles said that there was no institutional obligation to immediately evacuate the star couple; however, as a precautionary measure, they voluntarily decided to leave the property and move to a safer place.

George Clooney’s vast estate, built on an area of ​​​​170 hectares (420 acres), includes a historic 18th-century manor house, a lake, swimming pool and a vast vineyard.

The latest blaze in Brignoles has already burned 130 hectares (321 acres) and forced the evacuation of more than 600 people, the fire service and local authorities said. However, most residents had returned to their homes by Thursday.

As of Thursday, 270 firefighters were deployed to control the fire, and chartered water-bombing helicopters were being used. Four firefighters were injured while carrying out rescue operations.