George Clooney says his family has been forced to evacuate their home in southeastern France due to a nearby wildfire

PARIS -- PARIS (AP) — George Clooney has said his family has been forced to evacuate their home in southeastern France as a wildfire burned nearby, his agent said Thursday.

The Hollywood star behind the Ocean’s Eleven franchise and other films made the statement in a letter to Didier Bremond, the mayor of the town of Brignoles, some 90 kilometers (55 miles) east of Marseille, publicist Guido Gotz told The Associated Press in an email.

Addressed “Dear Didier,” the letter said: “At this point we have no idea whether our beautiful home makes it through this terrible moment and as we evacuate Brignoles,” the family wanted to “emphasize two things.”

“(F)irst we hope you and the people of our city are safe and second that Amal and I are committed to making sure that whatever happens to our village, we are part of this community and we’ll be part of making it whole,” Clooney wrote, referring to his wife Amal, a human rights lawyer.

The fire near Brignoles broke out Wednesday afternoon and burned some 100 hectares (247 acres), local officials said. The blaze was far smaller than a vast inferno that has swept up the Bordeaux region in southwestern France in recent days.

About 700 residents were evacuated and were allowed to return to their homes on Thursday after the fire was brought under control, they added.

The French government in December announced that the Clooneys along with their their twins Ella and Alexander were awarded French citizenship.

The couple purchased their estate in France in 2021. In an interview with Esquire last October, Clooney described their “farm in France” as their primary residence.