Harry and Meghan are now on the cusp of evacuation as the apocalyptic fires that have ravaged Los Angeles head towards their Montecito mansion.
This means that Harry and Meghan, who just four days ago opened their doors to friends and loved ones who evacuated the fires, could be forced to flee their sprawling $29million nine-bedroom home.
Meghan, 43, and Harry, 40, have rallied around LA fire victims by making donations to relief efforts through their Archewell Foundation and over the weekend served meals to survivors alongside the wife of embattled Governor Gavin Newsom. Their visit saw the Sus𝓈ℯ𝓍es be branded ‘disaster tourists’.
The deadly fires, which have 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed at least 24 people and burned more than 40,000 acres, have been fueled by high winds like the ones that are today expected to hit Montecito, a celebrity enclave that is home dozens of stars including Oprah and Princess Lilibet’s movie producer godfather Tyler Perry.
Firefighters are currently battling four active fires across LA, the massive Palisades Fire that has burned more than 23,000 acres and is only 14 per cent contained.
The Eaton Fire near Pasadena, which consumed just over 14,000 acres, is roughly one-third contained and the smaller Hurst Fire, covering 799 acres, is almost completely under control.
A large part of Southern California around Los Angeles is under this extreme fire danger warning through Wednesday, including densely populated Thousand Oaks, Northridge and Simi Valley.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass says the winds are predicted to be ‘close to hurricane-force level’ and ‘urgent preparations’ are being made across the area.
Highlighting the risks, the new small but fast-moving Auto Fire erupted in scrubland in the bed of the Santa Clara River in Oxnard, Ventura County about 55 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
The two main wildfires erupted last week, fueled by hurricane-force winds bringing dry air from inland deserts. At least 24 people have died in the fires since then, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.
Homes along the Pacific Coast Highway are seen burned by the Palisades Fire, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Malibu, California
As of Monday, more than 92,000 people in Los Angeles County were under evacuation orders – down from a previous high of more than 150,000 – while a further 89,000 faced evacuation warnings.
The Palisades Fire, which wiped out upscale communities on the western flank of Los Angeles, burned 23,713 acres and was 14 per cent contained.
But Hollywood actress Justine Bateman, 58, took to X/Twitter to blast the couple as ‘disaster tourists’ after they were spotted in footage dressed in plain clothes and speaking with victims and other helpers – and said they were only there for a ‘photo op’.
‘Meghan was 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 and raised in Los Angeles so this is, and always will be, home to her.’
Apple Valley Fire District Captain Manuel Lafarga, center, and firefighter James Lyons hose down hotspots in the aftermath of the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025
Mayor Bass and other officials – who have faced criticism over their initial response to fires that began last week – expressed confidence Monday that the region was ready to face the new threat with additional firefighters brought in from around the US, as well as Canada and Mexico.
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Firefighters over the weekend fought flames in Mandeville Canyon – home to Arnold Schwarzenegger and other celebrities – after the Palisades Fire spread, prompting new evacuation orders.
There have been more than a dozen wildfires in Southern California since January 1, mostly in the greater Los Angeles area.