Massive Lake Wildfire Nearly Destroys Neverland Ranch, but Saved in Time
The massive Lake Fire that is blazing through SoCal reached Neverland Ranch on Tuesday … but fire crews were able to save the property, TMZ has learned!
Capt. Scott Safechuck, spokesman for the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, tells TMZ the wildfire … which so far has scorched more than 26,000 acres … reached the iconic — and infamous — Michael Jackson estate.
A damage assessment is currently underway on the sprawling property … but SS tells TMZ that no major damage appears to have been inflicted … SS also noted there were no reports of injuries from the crew battling at Neverland.
As TMZ previously reported, the Santa Barbara County Fire Department had a beefed-up crew at the property, along with several trucks and even a fire aircraft at the ready, to combat the blaze. And they did it!
The crew was more than ready … but it was super helpful that the current Neverland owner … billionaire businessman Ron Burkle, who purchased it for $22 million in 2020 … did an excellent job with wildfire mitigation on the property, SS told us.
Neverland will be a backdrop for the soon-to-be-released MJ biopic, simply titled “Michael.” The movie stars MJ’s 27-year-old nephew Jaafar.
The area is not out of danger … SS telling us the fire is only 12% contained … and hot spots can wreak havoc, undoing the progress crews are making. Bottom line … peeps need to stay out of the area for the foreseeable future!