PARIS – George Clooney and his family were forced to leave their home in southeastern France after a wildfire broke out nearby, the actor’s representative said Thursday.
Clooney, the Oscar-winning Hollywood star known for the Ocean’s Eleven films and a long list of major screen roles, shared the update in a letter sent to Didier Bremond, mayor of Brignoles, a town about 90 kilometers (55 miles) east of Marseille, publicist Guido Gotz confirmed to The Associated Press by email.
The note, which began “Dear Didier,” said the family did not yet know whether their “beautiful home” would survive the emergency as they evacuated Brignoles, but Clooney said they wanted to make two points clear.
“First we hope you and the people of our city are safe,” Clooney wrote, adding that he and his wife, Amal Clooney, a prominent human rights lawyer, remained committed to the village. “Whatever happens to our village, we are part of this community and we’ll be part of making it whole,” he said.
According to local officials, the wildfire near Brignoles started Wednesday afternoon and scorched roughly 100 hectares (247 acres). While serious for the community, the blaze was much smaller than the massive fire that has torn through the Bordeaux region in southwestern France in recent days.
Officials said about 700 residents were evacuated as a precaution. After firefighters brought the flames under control, those residents were permitted to return home on Thursday.
In December, the French government announced that George and Amal Clooney, along with their twins, Ella and Alexander, had been granted French citizenship.
The Clooneys bought their French estate in 2021. Speaking to Esquire last October, George Clooney referred to the family’s “farm in France” as their main home.
