LA fires: Harry and Meghan facing evacuation as fires ravage Los Angeles suburbs

• Wildfires around Los Angeles have killed two people and caused significant injuries and damage. Over 1000 buildings have burned. Hurricane-force winds are spreading the fires rapidly, with officials warning conditions may worsen.
• Celebrities including Mark Hamill, Mandy Moore and James Woods were forced to evacuate their properties. Heidi Montage and Spencer Pratt have lost their home.
• The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their kids could soon be forced to flee their $22 million Montecito mansion, located inside a “high fire risk” zone.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may be forced to flee their $22 million home in California as wildfires continue to ravage the region.

The couple and their two children, Prince Archie, 5 – and Princess Lilibet, 3 – live in the exclusive celebrity enclave of Montecito, just under two hours from Los Angeles, which a spokesman for Southern California Edison confirmed to the UK’s Telegraph is inside a “high fire risk” zone.

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and their family live in the exclusive celebrity enclave of Montecito, just under two hours from Los Angeles. It's been deemed as high-risk for fire in the blazes sweeping Los Angeles. Photos / Getty, AFP

The power company added that it was considering shutdowns as the situation worsened.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved into the sprawling nine-bedroom, 16-bathroom property in the ritzy suburb in 2020, after stepping down from royal duties and leaving Britain.

Their high-profile neighbours include Oprah Winfrey and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Tens of thousands of residents have already fled the affected Los Angeles suburbs where the fires are raging, including celebrities such as Ben Affleck and James Woods.

A McDonald's restaurant is showered in embers during the Eaton fire in Pasadena, California on January 7, 2025. Photo / Josh Edelson / AFP

The ferocious wildfires are being fuelled by “hurricane-force” winds and extremely dry conditions.

At least two people have been killed in the Eaton fire – one of several out-of-control blazes raging across the area, authorities confirmed on Wednesday morning local time.

The tragic development comes as 49,000 others are under evacuation orders as the biggest inferno, known with the Palisades fire, rapidly spread to 2023ha – fanned by gusty winds and dry conditions – in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Fire grows in Pacific Palisades, California on January 7. Photo / AFP

The blaze, which has already destroyed more than 1000 homes and other structures, is expected to intensify as a major wind storm with gusts up to 160km/h fans the flames.

California governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency after arriving in the Palisades and connecting with first responders battling the fire.

“By no stretch of the imagination are we out of the woods,” Newsom said on Tuesday, adding that “not a few” but “many structures [were] already destroyed.”

Meanwhile, local firefighters are reportedly running out of water, the Los Angeles Times reported.

As of Thursday 4am AET, the Palisades Fire remains at 0% containment, Los Angeles County fire officials said.

Over 1000 LA County fire personnel have been deployed to fight the blaze — the largest of the four active fires torching the area.