Prince Harry and Meghan Markle face having power cut to their £24m Montecito mansion as Palisades wildfires ravage California
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle could have the power cut from their £24million mansion in Montecito because of the devastating wildfires sweeping California .
Firefighters are battling the blazes that have torn across the Los Angeles area amid high winds, destroying homes and causing tens of thousands of people to flee.
Officials in and around the US city are preparing for the situation to worsen today after California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency.
Now, local electricity provider Southern California Edison is considering a so-called Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) in parts of Santa Barbara county.
The firm, one of the main power providers in the area, said it was considering the shutdown due to a 'Red Flag' warning and an increased risk of wildfires.
Residents are now being contacted in areas including Montecito, where the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have lived in a 'high fire risk' property for five years.
This has raised the prospect of Harry and Meghan losing power at the home where they live with their children Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, three.
The couple could even have to leave the house, given a power cut could also impact communication networks and make it difficult to call for emergency help if needed.
Prince Harry and Meghan at the ESPY Awards at Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on July 11, 2024
Prince Harry and Meghan live in this £12million mansion in Montecito, California (file photo)
Southern California Edison is considering a so-called Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) in the areas of Santa Barbara County highlighted in orange, including Montecito (circled in red)
SCE expects the PSPS could affect 4,172 customers in Santa Barbara County and that they have notified all residents or businesses who are under consideration.
Its online property checker tool says of the Sussexes' address: 'This location is in a High Fire Risk Area. Power may be shut off during a PSPS to prevent wildfires.'
It adds: 'Increased fire risk conditions are expected in this area from 1/7/2025 – 6pm PST to 1/8/2025 – 9am PST. Be prepared for a PSPS during this time, although we may avoid shut-offs.'
The closest fire to Montecito which is currently burning is a blaze in the Malibu area around 60 miles along the coast.
The Duke and Duchess bought their sprawling nine-bedroom home for $14.65million (£11.9million) in 2020 but it is thought to have since doubled in value to $29million (£23.5million).
MailOnline has contacted Harry and Meghan's press team for comment.
More than 200,000 people were without power in Los Angeles County today because of the strong winds, according to the tracking website PowerOutage.us.
One of California's biggest ever wildfires, the 'Thomas Fire', reached Montecito in 2017 amid 65mph winds, but the area survived with only minor damage.
Firefighters worked together to stop spot fires that cropped up from falling embers, with only seven homes in the area burning down - despite the blaze having burnt through 282,000 acres of land, including parts of nearby Ventura and Santa Paula.
The Palisades Fire burns a residence in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles yesterday
People flee from the advancing Palisades Fire by car and on foot in Los Angeles yesterday
Fire crews battle the blaze as it burns structures in the Pacific Palisades area yesterday
Yesterday, one fire that broke out near a nature reserve in the inland foothills north-east of LA spread so rapidly that staff at a care home had to push dozens of elderly residents in wheelchairs and hospital beds down the street to a car park.
The residents waited in their bedclothes as embers fell around them until ambulances, buses and even construction vans arrived to take them to safety.
Another blaze that started hours earlier ripped through the city's Pacific Palisades area, a hillside area along the coast dotted with celebrity residences and made famous by the Beach Boys in their 1960s hit Surfin' USA.
Roads became impassable after scores of people abandoned their vehicles and fled on foot, some bearing suitcases.
The traffic jam on Palisades Drive prevented emergency vehicles from getting through and a bulldozer was brought in to push the abandoned cars to the side and create a path.
The Palisades Fire burns a property in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood of Los Angeles
Fire crews battle the blaze as it burns structures in the Pacific Palisades area yesterday
The Palisades Fire burns a property in the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood of Los Angeles
Officials did not give an estimate of structures damaged or destroyed in the Pacific Palisades wildfire, but they said about 30,000 residents were under evacuation orders and more than 13,000 structures were under threat.
A third wildfire started last night and quickly prompted evacuations in Sylmar, a San Fernando Valley community that is the northernmost area in Los Angeles. The causes of all three fires are under investigation.
Flames were being spread by Santa Ana winds topping 60mph in some places.
The winds were expected to increase overnight, producing isolated gusts that could top 100mph in mountains and foothills - including in areas that have not seen substantial rain in months.
The situation prompted the Los Angeles Fire Department to take the rare step of putting out a plea for off-duty firefighters to help. It was too windy for firefighting aircraft to fly, further hampering the fight against the fire.
