George and Amal Clooney were forced to evacuate their home in the south of France amid the encroaching wildfires, which have expanded to four times the size of Paris since they began in early July.
The couple, who reside in an 18th-century wine estate in Brignoles, Provence, named Domaine du Canadel, shared news of their evacuation in a letter sent to the mayor of Brignoles, Didier Brémond.
"Dear Didier, at this point we have no idea whether our beautiful home makes it through this terrible moment," the letter stated.
© Getty Images"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."
The duo concluded: "We love Brignoles and our friends who live there."
The Clooneys' French estate
© Getty ImagesGeorge and Amal have lived in the south of France for several years alongside their nine-year-old twins, Alexander and Ella. The actor previously shared how important it was for his kids to grow up away from the public eye and surrounded by nature.
"A good portion of my life growing up was on a farm, and as a kid, I hated the whole idea of it," he told Esquire. "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."
He added that he and Amal were "worried about raising our kids in LA, in the culture of Hollywood," which prompted their move to France.
"I felt like they were never going to get a fair shake at life," he said. "France – they kind of don't give a [expletive] about fame. 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."
© Mondadori Portfolio via Getty ImDevastation across Europe
Meanwhile, wildfires are raging across Europe, particularly in France, Spain, Greece and Portugal, forcing the evacuation of more than 220,000 people in south-west France.
Upon visiting a firefighting coordination center in the south of France, French President Emmanuel Macron urged emergency workers to "hold on" as they continued to battle the historic blaze.
© POOL/AFP via Getty Images"I know that some have lost everything. We will win this battle against this fire together," he said. "We have a situation that is more difficult than at any time since the Second World War. We must be realistic: the coming weeks will be tough, and we must persevere. The key is urgency, resilience."
Macron added that while the country would "replant and rebuild" after the disaster had ceased, "the structural challenges of climate change will no longer be the same".
