Photo: Taylor Hill/Getty Images
Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to evacuate as massive wildfires make their way through Europe. Among those evacuees are George and Amal Clooney and their 9-year-old twins, Alexander and Ella. The Clooneys live on a wine estate in Brignoles, a town in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region of France. The couple shared the news of their evacuation in a letter to the mayor of Brignoles, Didier Brémond, which was then obtained by People and confirmed by a representative for the Clooneys.
“Dear Didier, At this point we have no idea whether our beautiful home makes it through this terrible moment,” George wrote. “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.” The actor also added, “We love Brignoles and our friends who live there.”
On Wednesday, the Associated Press reported that the blaze was four times the size of Paris, affecting parts of France, Spain, Portugal, and Greece. More than 200,000 people have had to evacuate from their homes in France this week, with President Emmanuel Macron calling the wildfire “completely unprecedented.” “The situation we are dealing with today is the most severe we have ever recorded, the toughest since the Second World War,” the French president declared on Monday.
The Clooney family moved to Brignoles in 2021, news that was announced by Brémond himself in a post on then-Twitter. “It is now official: George and Amal #Clooney are residents of our beautiful commune,” the mayor wrote. Last year, George told the New York Times why he loves living in Brignoles so much. “Growing up in Kentucky, all I wanted to do was get away from a farm, get away from that life,” he said. “Now I find myself back in that life. I drive a tractor and all those things. It’s the best chance of a normal life.” George wasn’t exaggerating when he said he and Amal were “committed” to Brignoles. Late last year, the couple officially became French citizens.
Stay in touch.
The latest in style, self, culture, and power in your inbox.
Vox Media, LLC Terms and Privacy Notice
Related