Overview
- The Clooneys confirmed late Thursday that they and their nine-year-old twins left their Brignoles estate after nearby wildfires; a representative and a letter to Mayor Didier Brémond said they do not know if their house survived.
- In the letter the couple pledged to help rebuild the local community once the emergency passes and urged concern for neighbors' safety as fires advanced toward the town.
- French authorities have declared large-scale evacuations, with reports citing about 224,000 people moved from Gironde and roughly 3,000 from Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, and national fire coordination centers are directing response efforts.
- President Emmanuel Macron visited a firefighter coordination center and vowed collective resolve to fight the blazes as crews struggle with extreme heat, drought and stretched resources.
- The fires form part of a broader European crisis affecting Spain, Italy and Greece, where at least two firefighters have died, and the scale of this season's blazes raises questions about preparedness, longer recovery needs and community rebuilding efforts.