LA wildfires force Take That’s Mark Owen to flee California home as wife shares distress

Take That star Mark Owen has had to make an urgent exit from his Los Angeles property as the area was besieged by “helicopters, thick black smoke and winds howling”.

California is grappling with ferocious wildfires that are tearing across multiple locales, displacing thousands who’ve been compelled to seek refuge. The blazes are currently battering regions such as Malibu, Hills, and Runyon Canyon.

With the situation escalating into a state of emergency, fire crews face an inferno amidst once-iconic streets. Limited water supplies coupled with fierce gales have thwarted attempts to control the relentless flames.

Not spared are homes of celebrities like Paris Hilton, Harrison Ford, and Billy Crystal, all laid waste by the disaster.

Mark now counts among the many residents urged to prioritise safety and evacuate their homes.

Via , his wife Emma shared an update and revealed she is currently in a hotel with her children and some of her pets, while Mark has sought refuge at his music studio with their cats and dogs.

She captioned the candid video: “Thank you for all your kind words. We are safe but please do prey for everyone here in LA and especially the @losangelesfiredepartment and first responders.”

Emma began: “Hi everyone. I’m so tired. I don’t think anyone in LA is sleeping at the moment. We have had so many messages but we just don’t have the energy or the time to send individual detailed responses back.

Just to let you all know we are all safe. Myself and the girls are at a hotel with the two smaller dogs and the hamsters. Mark is at his music studio with the two bigger dogs and the cats.”

She added: “I can’t wait to have all my family back together again.”

Emma went on to share that so many people have “lost everything” and admitted “my heart breaks for them” as she revealed their family home was at risk.

“Thank you for all your messages and checking in. I can’t quite comprehend what happened here, but we are safe. The hurricane-force winds and lack of water have meant the fire has spread catastrophically fast and taken much of our beloved area with it. Schools, homes, shops, and stables are all gone.”

“We woke up to helicopters, thick black smoke, winds howling, and the uncertainty that our house would survive. I wish I had packed better. Even if I had just grabbed each of their baby shoes, it would have been something. So many have lost everything, pets included. And it’s nowhere near over. Three active fires are blazing around us, and there is not enough water to manage the situation. Planes are grounded due to the winds.”

I’m not sure what our next step is. Right now, I’m just heavy and tired.

We are beyond grateful to the heroes at @losangelesfiredepartment for all they do during these times. They work tirelessly to save homes and lives under catastrophic conditions.

We see you. Climate change is real, and it’s apocalyptic when it strikes.

” Before being forced to evacuate, Emma informed her online followers that there was “no water left” and that aircrafts which had been spreading water across the fires had been grounded due to the rising winds. “We need your prayers,” she added.”

In a subsequent video, Emma expressed: “I’m so tired, I don’t think anyone in LA is sleeping right now. I’m popping back on here, we’ve had so many messages of people just checking if we’re ok friends and family back home and there are so many messages, they’re so lovely, we just don’t have the energy or the time to individually send details.”

Tragedy has struck a family as bushfires rage on, with Emma disclosing: “Just to let you know that we are safe, we are still safe, myself and the two girls are at a hotel with the two smaller dogs and the hamsters. Mark is at his music studio with the two bigger dogs and the cats, we have so many animals. We managed to get the horse to safety, although the horse might have to be rescued again because where they were moved to is now under threat.”

Emma lamented further familial disruptions noting her son Elwood and his girlfriend’s refuge is also at risk: “Can’t wait to have my family back together again,” she expressed, thankful for their current safety but burdened by the continuing danger. “Our house is under threat again, none of the fires are contained, they’re still raging,”.

Compounding the crisis, she relayed yet another heartache, as their community faces the scourge of looting among the disaster: “Can you believe people are looting at this time? ! ” Emma questioned, dismayed by the state of affairs amidst their dire circumstances. “What is wrong with humanity? ” she posed, questioning the motive behind such acts in times of collective emergency.

Dozens of wildfires have wreaked havoc across the region, hitting areas such as Hurst, Eaton, Woodley, Palisades, and Runyon Canyon – flames so fierce they now cover over 25,000 acres, with the billowing smoke even spotted from space by NASA’s observatories. A state of emergency has been declared, mobilising all available efforts to tackle the infernos.

In response, President gave an immediate nod to increased assistance, saying on social media Wednesday night: “I have directed the @DeptofDefense to rapidly provide additional firefighting personnel and capabilities to the region being impacted by the Southern California wildfires.We also continue to work closely with the National Guard. My thanks to the California National Guard and the Nevada National Guard for readying Airborne Firefighting Systems.Ten Navy helicopters with water delivery buckets are on their way.”