Meghan Markle and Prince Harry open the doors to their $29M Montecito mansion to fire-ravaged friends from LA

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have opened the doors of their $29 million Montecito mansion to their friends and loved ones who were forced to evacuate due to the ongoing wildfires in Southern California.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, in a statement on their website Sussex.com, also urged other Los Angeles residents to do the same as the wildfires continue to raze celebrity homes and leave behind nothing but ash and rubble.

Since Thursday, seven people have died in one of the most devastating fires in the county’s history, more than 10,000 buildings have been destroyed, about 400,000 customers statewide were without power and more than 180,000 have been evacuated.

“If a friend, loved one or pet needs to evacuate and you can provide him or her with safe shelter in your home, do so. And be sure to contact any disabled or elderly neighbors to see if they need help evacuating,” the couple urged.

“Please consider donating clothing, children’s toys and clothing, and other essentials,” they said, noting that the American Red Cross is on the ground helping those in need.

Harry and Meghan have already done that, according to De Telegraafand work with their Archewell Foundation staff to identify the most effective ways to support the community.

Donations have also been made to relief efforts through their foundation, which is also looking for volunteer opportunities.

The couple is also said to be connecting with chef Jose Andres and working with his World Central Kitchen, which delivers meals after natural disasters.

Meanwhile, officials in and around the city are preparing for the situation to worsen after California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency.

Winds were expected to increase overnight, producing isolated gusts that could reach speeds of 160 km/h in the mountains and foothills, including in areas where there has been no substantial rain for months fallen.

Now, local Southern California electricity provider Edison is considering a so-called Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) in parts of Santa Barbara County.

The company, one of the area’s main energy suppliers, said it was considering the closure due to a ‘Red Flag’ warning and an increased risk of bushfires.

Residents are now being contacted in areas such as Montecito, about 90 miles from the center of the fire, where the Duke and Duchess of Sussex lived in a “high fire risk” property for five years.

They bought their sprawling nine-bedroom home in 2020 for $14.65 million, but it is believed to have since doubled in value to $29 million.

This has raised the prospect of Harry and Meghan losing power in the house where they live with their children Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, three.

The couple might even have to leave the house, as a power outage can also affect communication networks and make it difficult to call for emergency help if necessary.

MailOnline has contacted Harry and Meghan’s press team for comment.

SCE expects the PSPS could impact 4,172 customers in Santa Barbara County and has notified all residents or businesses that are in the process.

Their online property checking tool says of the Sussexes’ address: ‘This location is in a high fire risk area. During a PSPS, the power can be turned off to prevent forest fires.’

It adds, “An increased fire risk is expected in this area from 7/1/2025 – 6:00 PM PST to 8/1/2025 – 9:00 AM PST. Be prepared for a PSPS during this time, although we can avoid closures.”

The closest fire to Montecito currently burning is a fire in the Malibu area, about 60 miles up the coast.

As the fires continued to burn, the Los Angeles Fire Department took overThe rare step that involves a plea for off-duty firefighters to help. It was too windy for firefighting planes to fly, further hampering efforts to fight the fire.

The fire brigade was already having difficulty getting the fires under control because the fire hydrants no longer had water.

President Joe Biden explained that the water utilities themselves “shut off power because they were afraid the pipes carrying energy would blow up and cause more fires.

“When it did that, it shut off the ability to pump the water, which is what’s causing the lack of water in these hydrants.”

By Wednesday, Janisse Quiñones, the newly appointed CEO and chief engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, announced that all water storage tanks in the Pacific Palisades area ‘ran dry’ while the flames continue to rage.

Quiñones, who previously worked for PG&E before being appointed in May, said the third water tank was empty around 3 a.m. local time on Wednesday. after the first tank was empty around 4:45 p.m. and the second at about 8:30 p.m – approximately 1,000,000 gallons each.

“Those tanks help with the pressure on the fire hydrants in the Palisades Hills, and because we were pushing so much water into our main line, and so much water was used before it could reach the tanks, we were not able to fill the tanks fast enough, she explained.

“So the water usage was faster than we can deliver water in our trunk,” she continued, adding that there is water in the truck line, but it “can’t get up the hill because we can’t fill the tanks fast enough.”

After someone asked her about the number of fire hydrants that can’t get water because of these problems, Quiñones started to stumble over her words.

In an effort to rectify the situation, Biden said Cal Fire and other state officials are bringing in generators.

He added that Cal Fire, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, is deploying generators to help with the shortage of water coming from hydrants.