Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have opened the doors to their $29million Montecito mansion to their friends and loved ones who were forced to evacuate the ongoing wildfires in southern California.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex also urged other Los Angeles residents to do the same in a statement on their website, Sussex.com, as the wildfires continue to level celebrities’ homes, leaving nothing but ash and rubble.
As of Thursday, seven people have died in one of the most destructive blazes in the county’s history, over 10,000 structures are destroyed, roughly 400,000 customers statewide were without power and over 180,000 have been evacuated.
‘If a friend, loved one or pet has to evacuate and you are able to offer them a safe haven in your home, please do. And be sure to check in with any disabled or elderly neighbors to see if they need help evacuating,’ the couple urged.
‘Please consider donating clothing, children’s toys and clothing, and other essentials,’ they said, noting the American Red Cross is on the ground helping those in need.
Harry and Meghan have already done so, according to The Telegraph, and are working with their staff from the Archewell Foundation to identify the most effective ways to support the community.
Donations have also been made to relief efforts through their foundation, which is also looking for opportunities to volunteer.
The couple are also said to be in contact with chef Jose Andres and are working alongside his World Central Kitchen, which supplies meals in the wake of natural disasters.
Meanwhile, officials in and around the city are preparing for the situation to worsen overnight after California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency.
The winds were expected to increase overnight, producing isolated gusts that could top 100mph in mountains and foothills – including in areas that have not seen substantial rain in months.
Now, local electricity provider Southern California Edison is considering a so-called Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) in parts of Santa Barbara county.
The firm, one of the main power providers in the area, said it was considering the shutdown due to a ‘Red Flag’ warning and an increased risk of wildfires.
Residents are now being contacted in areas including Montecito, about 90miles from the center of the blaze, where the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have lived in a ‘high fire risk’ property for five years.
They bought their sprawling nine-bedroom home for $14.65million in 2020 but it is thought to have since doubled in value to $29million.
This has raised the prospect of Harry and Meghan losing power at the home where they live with their children Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, three.
The couple could even have to leave the house, given a power cut could also impact communication networks and make it difficult to call for emergency help if needed.
MailOnline has contacted Harry and Meghan’s press team for comment.
SCE expects the PSPS could affect 4,172 customers in Santa Barbara County and that they have notified all residents or businesses who are under consideration.
Its online property checker tool says of the Sussexes’ address: ‘This location is in a High Fire Risk Area. Power may be shut off during a PSPS to prevent wildfires.’
It adds: ‘Increased fire risk conditions are expected in this area from 1/7/2025 – 6pm PST to 1/8/2025 – 9am PST. Be prepared for a PSPS during this time, although we may avoid shut-offs.’
The closest fire to Montecito which is currently burning is a blaze in the Malibu area around 60 miles along the coast.
As the fires continued to burn, the Los Angeles Fire Department took the the rare step of putting out a plea for off-duty firefighters to help. It was too windy for firefighting aircraft to fly, further hampering the fight against the fire.
Firefighters were already struggling to control the fires as the hydrants were out of water.
President Joe Biden explained that the water companies, themselves, ‘shut off power because they are worried the lines that carried energy were going to be blown down and spark additional fires.
‘When it did that, it cut off the ability to generate pumping the water, that’s what caused the lack of water in these hydrants.’
By Wednesday, Janisse Quiñones, the newly-appointed chief executive officer and chief engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, announced that all water storage tanks in the Pacific Palisades area ‘went dry’ as flames continue to rage on.
Quiñones, who previously worked for PG&E prior to being appointed in May, said the third water tank ran out at about 3am local time Wednesday, after the first tank ran out around 4.45pm, and the second at approximately 8.30pm – each at about 1,000,000 gallons each.
‘Those tanks help with the pressure on the fire hydrants in the hills of Palisades, and because we were pushing so much water in our trunk line, and so much water was being used before it can get to the tanks – we were not able to fill the tanks fast enough,’ she explained.
‘So the consumption of water was faster than we can provide water in our trunk line,’ she continued, adding that there is water in the truck line, but it ‘cannot get up the hill because we cannot fill the tanks fast enough.’
After someone asked her for the number of hydrants that cannot get water because of these issues, Quiñones started to stumble on her words.
In an attempt to rectify the situation, Biden said Cal Fire and other state officials are bringing in generators.
He added that Cal Fire, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, is bringing in generators to help with the shortage of water coming out of the hydrants.
