In the celebrity world, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have just proven that private jets aren’t the only luxury money can buy.
The star couple hired a private team of firefighters to battle the flames from the Woolsey fire in Hidden Hills, saving their $60 million property and neighboring homes from destruction, TMZ reported.
Armed with hoses, the firefighters were able to prevent the fire from spreading to a forested field that lies behind the sprawling property. It’s likely the field would have created a domino effect in the wealthy neighborhood, potentially causing even more damage.
The couple spent $20 million to acquire the property in 2014, later pouring another $20 million to upgrade it. A January appraisal of the 15,000-square-foot mansion pegged its value at $60 million.
As of Wednesday morning, the Woolsey fire had spread to 97,620 acres and was 47 percent contained. It has caused at least three deaths, and an estimated 483 homes and buildings have been destroyed.
Officials lifted mandatory evacuation orders on Wednesday for parts of Malibu, where residents have been displaced since Friday night. On Tuesday, evacuations were lifted for Hidden Hills, parts of Calabasas, Agoura Hills, Westlake Village and West Hills in the San Fernando Valley.
Among the properties claimed by the fire are the historic Morrison Ranch House, and Paramount Ranch Western Town in Agoura Hills. The blaze also destroyed the homes of actor Gerard Butler and singer Miley Cyrus.
Spanning 150 square miles, the Woolsey fire is roughly the size of the city of Denver, according to the L.A. County Fire Department. [TMZ] — Natalie Hoberman