George and Amal Clooney evacuate French home as wildfires rage
George and Amal Clooney have joined the mass evacuations in southern France, fleeing their estate as fast-moving wildfires sweep through the region. The couple, alongside their children, left their hilltop property behind as flames fueled by an extreme heatwave and strong winds threatened the area.
“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 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. We love Brignoles and our friends who live there.”
The fire near Brignoles broke out on a Wednesday and burned roughly 250 acres within the Var department, where populations between 600 and 700 villagers were forced to evacuate. The blaze added to a cascade of emergencies across southern Europe, driven by soaring temperatures and high winds. CNN reported that more than 3,000 people fled the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region alone, while French and Spanish authorities confirmed that more than 250,000 people in total have been evacuated across both countries.
French President Emmanuel Macron addressed the crisis, emphasizing national resilience in the face of the natural disaster.
“In these hours when the flames are severely testing our country, France reveals what it is: a united people, standing shoulder to shoulder,”
Emmanuel Macron, via social media and US Magazine
The French leader noted that all civil and military resources, including aerial assets, Canadair units, Dash aircraft, and water-bomber helicopters, were fully mobilized alongside reinforcements from across the country. He also extended thoughts to Spain, Italy, and Greece, vowing that the nation would rebuild and repair for as long as it takes.
While the Brignoles fire affected a smaller footprint, a separate, massive wildfire in southwestern France near Bordeaux forced 84,000 residents to evacuate. Those evacuees were permitted to return home on Thursday [omitted day/date discrepancy] after firefighters gained control over a blaze that had consumed an area four times the size of Paris.
The Clooneys acquired their French property, a former wine estate known as Domaine du Canadel, in August 2021 for $8.3 million (noted as €7 million at the time). Spanning 425 acres of vineyards, olive groves, and lavender gardens, the 18th-century property features a roughly 10,000-square-foot main residence, a tennis court, a swimming pool, a private lake, and a working vineyard that debuted its first estate-produced wines in 2024. The estate sits roughly ten minutes away from Brad Pitt’s Château Miraval winery.
The move to France marked a deliberate lifestyle shift for the family. George Clooney explained in interviews that he wanted to shield his 9-year-old twins, Alexander and Ella, from the culture of Hollywood and the constant presence of paparazzi, seeking instead a quieter upbringing centered around farming, wine production, and keeping the children off electronic devices. The family's ties to the country were formalized in December 2025, when a naturalization decree published in the Journal Officiel granted French citizenship to George, Amal, and their twins.
Beyond their Provençal retreat, the couple maintains a portfolio of international properties. These include Villa Oleandra on Italy’s Lake Como—purchased in 2002—alongside a historic manor in England, the Grade II-listed Aberdash House in Berkshire, and a Manhattan condominium.
