Meghan Markle and Prince Harry open the doors of their $29 million Montecito mansion to friends in fire-devastated Los Angeles

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

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex also urged other Los Angeles residents to do the same in a statement on their website, Sussex.com, as wildfires continue to ravage celebrities’ homes, leaving nothing but ash and debris .

As of Thursday, seven people have died in one of the most destructive fires in county history, more than 10,000 structures have been destroyed, approximately 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 offer them safe shelter in your home, do so. And be sure to check with 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 essential items,” they said, noting that the American Red Cross is on the ground helping those in need.

Harry and Meghan have already done it, according to The Telegraphand are working with their Archewell Foundation staff to identify the most effective ways to support the community.

Donations have also been made to relief efforts through his foundation, which is also seeking volunteer opportunities.

The couple is also said to be in contact with chef José Andrés and are working together with his World Central Kitchen, which supplies meals after natural disasters.

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

Winds were expected to increase overnight, producing isolated gusts that could exceed 100 mph in mountains and hills, even in areas that have not seen substantial rain in months.

Now, local electricity provider Southern California 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 closure due to a “red flag” warning and an increased risk of wildfires.

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 have lived in a “high fire risk” property for five years.

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

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

The couple may even have to leave the house, since a power outage could 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 affect 4,172 customers in Santa Barbara County and has notified all residents or businesses that are under consideration.

Their online property checker tool says of the Sussexes’ address: “This location is in a high fire risk area.” Power may be turned off during a PSPS to prevent wildfires.’

It adds: ‘Increased fire risk conditions are expected in this area from January 7, 2025 at 6 pm PST until January 8, 2025 at 9 am PST. Please be prepared for a PSPS during this time, although we may avoid outages.

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

As the fires continued to burn, the Los Angeles Fire Department took thThis is the rare step of asking off-duty firefighters for help. It was too windy for firefighting planes to fly, making fighting the fire even more difficult.

Firefighters were already struggling to control the fires as hydrants ran out of water.

President Joe Biden explained that the water companies themselves “cut off the power because they were worried that the lines carrying power would be knocked down and cause more fires.”

‘When he did that, he cut off the ability to generate water pumping, that’s what caused the lack of water in these hydrants.’

For Wednesday, Janisse Quiñones, the newly appointed executive director and chief engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, announced that all Water storage tanks in Pacific Palisades area ‘ran dry’ as the flames continue to burn.

Quiñones, who previously worked for PG&E before being appointed in May, said the third water tank ran out around 3 a.m. local time on Wednesday. after the first tank ran out at around 4:45 p.m. and the second at around 8:30 p.m. – each at 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 on our trunk line, and so much water was being used before it could get to the tanks, we couldn’t fill the tanks. tanks quickly enough,” he explained.

“So the water consumption was faster than we can supply on our trunk line,” he continued, adding that there is water on the truck line, but “it can’t go up the hill because we can’t fill the tanks fast enough.” .

After someone asked him the number of hydrants that cannot receive water due to these problems, Quiñones began to doubt his words.

In an attempt 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 bringing in generators to help with the shortage of water coming out of hydrants.