LOS OLIVOS, Calif. – A wildfire in Southern California has prompted an evacuation order and is threatening properties including singer Michael Jackson’s former Neverland Ranch.
According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the fire broke out around 4 p.m. Friday near Zaca Lake, northeast of Los Olivos.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office issued an evacuation order for an area that includes the Neverland Ranch property in the 5000 block of Figueroa Mountain Road.
Jackson bought the ranch in 1988 for about $17 million and renovated it to house an amusement park, zoo and more.
In 2005, he was accused of sexually abusing children on the property. After his acquittal, he never returned to the house and died in 2009.
Investor Ronald Burkle bought the ranch in 2020 for $22 million.
More than 750 firefighters from the US Forest Service and the Santa Barbara County Fire Department were assigned to the fire, the US Forest Service said. Air support included ten firefighting planes and three helicopters, according to the New York Times.
