George and Amal Clooney have been forced to evacuate their home in south-eastern France as a wildfire burned nearby, his agent confirmed to Associated Press on Thursday.

The Clooneys bought their hilltop estate, Domaine du Canadel, in Brignoles in the Var in 2021 and it has since become their primary residence. Last December, the French government awarded the whole family – including the couple’s nine-year-old twins – French citizenship.

In a letter to Didier Bremond, the mayor of Brignoles, the actor wrote that while “at this point we have no idea whether our beautiful home makes it through this terrible moment and as we evacuate Brignoles”, he wanted to “emphasise two things”.

“First we hope you and the people of our city are safe and second that Amal and I are determined to ensure that, whatever happens to our village, we remain fully part of this community and [will] contribute to its rebuilding. We love Brignoles and the friends we have there.”

The fire near Brignoles broke out on Wednesday afternoon and burned some 130 hectares (321 acres), local officials said. Some 600 residents were evacuated and four firefighters injured.

Speaking to Esquire magazine earlier in the year about his rationale for relocating from the US, Clooney said he and his wife, a highly respected human rights lawyer, did not want their children either observed by paparazzi or being raised with an urban myopia.

“A good portion of my life growing up was on a farm, and as a kid I hated the whole idea of it,” he said. “But now, for them, it’s like – they’re not on their iPads, you know? They have dinner with grownups and have to take their dishes in. They have a much better life.”