Take That's Mark Owen has been forced to flee from his LA home after waking up to "helicopters, thick black smoke and winds howling."
Wildfires have been rapidly spreading across areas of California, with thousands of people displaced as they've been forced to flee to safety. Parts affected include Malibu, the Hollywood Hills area and Runyon Canyon. So far, five people have been killed according to officials, with over 1000 homes destroyed and 70,000 people evacuated.
Declared as a state of emergency, the fires have turned the once-glamorous streets into a battleground for the firefighters, with reports of water shortages and intense winds making it virtually impossible to even begin to contain the spreading fires. Homes owned by the likes of Paris Hilton, Harrison Ford and Billy Crystal have also been destroyed.
Now, Mark has joined those who have been urged to leave their homes in order to find safety. Taking to Instagram, his wife, Emma said: "Thank you for all your messages and checking in. I can't quite comprehend what happened here, but we are safe. The hurricane-force winds and lack of water have meant the fire has spread catastrophically fast and taken much of our beloved area with it. Schools, homes, shops, and stables are all gone.
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Getty Images)"We woke up to helicopters, thick black smoke, winds howling, and the uncertainty that our house would survive. I wish I had packed better. Even if I had just grabbed each of their baby shoes, it would have been something. So many have lost everything, pets included. And it's nowhere near over. Three active fires are blazing around us, and there is not enough water to manage the situation. Planes are grounded due to the winds.
"I'm not sure what our next step is. Right now, I'm just heavy and tired. We are beyond grateful to the heroes at @losangelesfiredepartment for all they do during these times. They work tirelessly to save homes and lives under catastrophic conditions. We see you. Climate change is real, and it's apocalyptic when it strikes." Prior to being evacuated, Emma told her online followers that there was "no water left" and that aircrafts which had been spreading water across the fires had been grounded due to the rising winds. "We need your prayers," she added.
In a later video, Emma said: "I'm so tired, I don't think anyone in LA is sleeping right now. I'm popping back on here, we've had so many messages of people just checking if we're ok – friends and family back home and there are so many messages, they're so lovely, we just don't have the energy or the time to individually send details.
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Anadolu via Getty Images)"Just to let you know that we are safe, we are still safe, myself and the two girls are at a hotel with the two smaller dogs and the hamsters. Mark is at his music studio with the two bigger dogs and the cats, we have so many animals. We managed to get the horse to safety, although the horse might have to be rescued again because where they were moved to is now under threat."
She added that their son, Elwood and his girlfriend were staying with friends after the area they had sought shelter in later came under threat. "Can't wait to have my family back together again," she said, adding that they were "blessed" to have found safety. "Our house is under threat again, none of the fires are contained, they're still raging," she added.
Emma revealed that while they face losing their house in the fires, the family were dealt another blow – having been warned that looters were active in the area, knowing that many people had fled their homes. "Can you believe people are looting at this time?!" she asked. "What is wrong with humanity?" she added.
Dozens of fires have been reported across the region, with fires in Hurst, Eaton, Woodley, Palisades and Runyon Canyon - with the fires now so substantial they span more than 25,000 acres with the smoke even visible from space, as per the Nasa Space Observatory. Having now declared a state of emergency, all resources are being deployed to try and bring the fires under control, with President Joe Biden having responded directly to the crisis by approving the allocation of more aid.
Taking to social media on Wednesday evening he said: "I have directed the @DeptofDefense to rapidly provide additional firefighting personnel and capabilities to the region being impacted by the Southern California wildfires.We also continue to work closely with the National Guard. My thanks to the California National Guard and the Nevada National Guard for readying Airborne Firefighting Systems.Ten Navy helicopters with water delivery buckets are on their way."
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