Source: Oprah Winfrey’s Home Evacuated Due to Wildfires
Oprah Winfrey’s Montecito home is being evacuated after the Southern California wildfires have come within a few miles of her coastal ranch, a source tells Usmagazine.com.
The source tells Us that movers arrived at the talk show host’s $50 million mansion, which is located just outside of Santa Barbara, and have been packing her belongings to prepare for the evacuation as the blaze continues to spread.
Winfrey was not at the house on Friday, as she was taping The Oprah Winfrey Show in Chicago.
“The fires are nearby, but her house is not within the mandatory evacuation area,” A rep for Winfrey tells Us. “We’re continuing to monitor.”
Downtown Montecito is currently “under warning,” Michelle Phillips, an employee at the Jesusita Fire County Emergency Call Center tells Us.
“Residents should be ready to evacuate their homes at a moment’s notice,” Phillips says, adding that evacuation is mandatory at this point. “The [distance of the fire] can change very quickly, which is why residents are strongly advised to evacuate now while they still can.”
Dry air and high winds have frustrated efforts to control the wildfire, which began Tuesday and has driven more than 30,500 people from their homes on the edge of Santa Barbara. It has cost more than $2.6 million to battle, according to Bloomberg.com. Only 10 percent of the fire is contained and that it has damaged 75 homes so far.
Winfrey purchased the 6-bedroom property — which covers 42 acres and is 23,000 square feet — in 2001. Michael Douglas and Rob Lowe also live in the area.
