Oprah and Katy Perry's Homes Threatened as Thomas Fire Grows to Third Largest in State History
Oprah Winfrey and Katy Perry are the latest among the thousands of Californians to be affected as the Thomas Fire rages on, becoming the third-largest wildfire in the state’s history.
Winfrey, who has a home in the coastal city of Montecito, said in a tweet on Saturday that while her house was “so far still standing,” the situation is not getting any easier for those on the scene.
“Still praying for our little town,” the 63-year-old host wrote. “Winds picked up this morning creating a perfect storm of bad for firefighters.”
Perry, 33, shared on her social media pages that her parents had to evacuate their home in Santa Barbara County on her mother’s birthday.
“Woke up to wish my mom a happy 70th birthday today to find my brother evacuating them from the insane #ThomasFire in Santa Barbara County that has kicked up once again… praying for the firefighters & first responders that are fighting it back as best they can,” she said, adding a broken heart emoji. “Love you SB.”
The singer later added a message thanking firefighters and first responders who continue to battle the blaze.
Several celebrities have left their homes due to the fire threat since the fire started near Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula (its namesake) on Dec. 4. Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi shared last week that they had evacuated their six pets from their home near Santa Barbara, while former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Adrienne Maloof announced her family’s evacuation on Twitter.
Chelsea Handler, Lionel Richie, Paris Hilton and Lea Michele also had to leave their homes for safer ground.
The massive Thomas Fire covered at least 267,500 acres as of Saturday evening, according to CNN, making it the third-largest wildfire in California’s history. The 2003 Cedar Fire was the largest, which burned 273,246 acres in San Diego County.
Firefighters have fought strong winds to contain 40 percent of the blaze. Forecasters predict winds should ease late Sunday night, allowing for additional containment, the outlet reports.
Collectively, the blazes cover an area larger than New York City and Boston combined, CNN reports. Officials also announced at a news conference that more than 1,000 structures have been destroyed.
Two deaths have been linked to the recent fires in southern California. On Dec. 5 a 70-year-old woman was found dead and it is believed she crashed while trying to evacuate the Thomas Fire.
Cory Iverson, a 32-year-old fire-engine strike team member of Cal Fire’s San Diego unit, was killed as he fought a blaze near Ventura County on Thursday. Iverson’s wife Ashley is currently pregnant with their second child. The couple also has a 2-year-old daughter, Evie. A GoFundMe page has been created by Ashley’s friend to help with expenses following the tragedy.