Michael Cantrell AMERICA’S FREEDOM FIGHTERS –

You know what one of the biggest benefits of being loaded with a nearly endless supply of money and fame is? When wildfires come along to destroy your property you can escape easily to comfortable accommodations without a worry in the world about how you’re going to financially recover from losing your home.

The Southern California wildfire has grown to be obscenely large, making it the fifth largest in the state’s history and has now forced some celebrities to evacuate from their ridiculously huge hillside houses.

Fox News has the latest:

Officials handed out masks to those who stayed behind in Montecito, an exclusive community about 75 miles northwest of Los Angeles that’s home to stars such as Oprah Winfrey, Jeff Bridges and Drew Barrymore.

Forecasters predicted dry winds that spread fires throughout the region for a week would begin to lose their power Monday. Light gusts were driving the flames away from communities, Santa Barbara County fire spokesman Mike Eliason said. But the possibility of “unpredictable” gusts would keep firefighters on edge, he said.

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My commute home tonight. We are safe. Others aren’t. Pray for them.

A post shared by Rob Lowe (@robloweofficial) on Dec 5, 2017 at 8:43pm PST

Actor Rob Lowe wore a mask as he live-streamed his family evacuating Sunday from their smoke-shrouded home.

“Praying for the people in my area,” he said to his Instagram followers. “Hope everybody’s getting out safe like we are, and thanks for the prayers and thoughts. And good luck to the firefighters, we need you!”

Everyone in the Montecito area is checking up on each other and helping to get people and animals to safety. I’m proud to be a part of this community. I’m sending lots of love and gratitude to the fire department and sheriffs. Thank you all. #ThomasFire

— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) December 10, 2017

The number of folks who have been forced to evacuate their homes due to this monstrous fire is somewhere in the tens of thousands, as the blaze has begun affecting towns near Santa Barbara.

Many have opted to evacuate due to all the thick smoke in the air, which has increased breathing issues, and they’re also fleeing due to the fear of highways being shutdown suddenly which would make escape nearly impossible. This happened a week ago, so this fear is not without legit grounds.

More than 750 buildings have been destroyed by the fire, and so much ash has been thrown into the air that visibility has been limited to a few feet.

Folks who entered Jeannine’s American Bakery in the Montecito area actually brushed ash off of their clothing. Parking lots, cars, just about everything is covered in a blanket of ash.

Amtrak has shut down service in Santa Barbara, and the 200-year-old mission church located in the city was also closed because of ash and dust. There have been repeated alerts issued about bad air quality, telling people to stay indoors and not participate in outdoor activities that are vigorous in nature.

This is a pretty serious fire that is wreaking havoc all across this area of California, and while a few jabs here and there at celebrities are done in jest, the truth is, it’s great to see anyone who is affected get away from this monstrosity.

It’s equally as tragic to see all of the people losing homes and property in this disaster too.

Thoughts and prayers to all those living in Southern California. Be safe!

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