George and Amal Clooney evacuate French home amid wildfires
George and Amal Clooney evacuate French home amid wildfires
George and Amal Clooney left their home in the south of France amid wildfires ravaging the region.
Actor Clooney, his human rights lawyer wife and their two children left their Brignoles property earlier this week.
He told the city’s mayor Didier Brémond in a letter: “We have no idea whether our beautiful home makes it through this terrible moment”.
Clooney added he and his wife were committed to help repairing their village after the fires “whatever happens”. The family bought their Brignoles home in 2021 and were all awarded French citizenship in December 2025.
The letter, which was shared with the BBC, said: “Dear Didier, At this point we have no idea whether our beautiful home makes it through this terrible moment and as we evacuate Brignoles we want to emphasise two 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.
“We love Brignoles and our friends who live there.”
Wildfires have devastated areas of France and at 20:00 local time (18:00 GMT) on Wednesday the Préfet du Var announced an evacuation of some neighbourhoods after a fire started near Brignoles.
By 13:00 on Thursday those evacuated were allowed to return home but local officials still warned: “The weather, with high temperatures and the rise of the wind this afternoon, remains unfavourable and vigilance is advised.”
Clooney said in 2025 the family’s decision to move to France was shaped by his concerns about raising their children twins Ella and Alexander in Los Angeles.
He told Esquire magazine: “I don’t want them to be walking around worried about paparazzi. I don’t want them being compared to somebody else’s famous kids.”
“We live on a farm in France. A good portion of my life growing up was on a farm, and as a kid, I hated the whole idea of it.
“But now, for them, it’s like – they’re not on their iPads, you know? They have dinner with grown-ups and have to take their dishes in. They have a much better life.”
European countries have been hit by a series of wildfires as high temperatures have left some parts of the continent a tinderbox.
French fires in pine forests have forced at least 220,000 residents and holidaymakers into evacuation.
A blaze in the Gironde region is the biggest in France since 1949 and has destroyed 42,000 hectares (103,784 acres).
But there is optimism its path has been halted after it was contained for the third day in the row, with rain predicted on Thursday.
Greece and Spain are also dealing with outbreaks and on Crete thousands were evacuated as strong winds fanned and spread one fire.
On Wednesday two firefighters died on the island after getting trapped near Krya Vrysi. A third was killed near the Peloponnese port town of Gytheio.
By BBC News