He was among celebrities including Oprah Winfrey evacuated from their homes as the mega Thomas Fire bore down on the tony enclave of Montecito in California
And on Sunday, Rob Lowe offered his heartfelt thanks to the fire crews who helped beat back the giant blaze that has now charred 270,00 acres, CalFire reported at 6.30pm on Sunday.
That's an area larger than the cities of New York and Paris combined.
'Respect, gratitude': On Sunday Rob Lowe posted this instagram of firefighters who worked on the Thomas blaze that threatened Montecito, CA, captioned, 'Thank you to all the crews from all over the country who stood tall and saved my town'
The 53-year-old posted a snap of himself with a large group of fire fighters, still in their yellow jackets, captioned: 'Thank you to all the crews from all over the country who stood tall and saved my town. #respect #gratitude.'
The previous day the star shared a photo of himself wearing flame retardant clothing as he helped to wield a hosepipe.
He captioned it: 'Helping earlier today. You do what you can, but when it’s time.. you GO.'
Oprah took to Twitter to say that winds were creating a 'perfect storm of bad,' whipping up the massive wildfire.
Practical help: The actor donned fire retardant clothing and helped with a hose on Saturday, in this photo her captioned, 'You do what you can, but when it’s time.. you GO'
Santa Barbara County issued new evacuation orders on Saturday for Oprah's home in Montecito and other communities in the area.
The fire, now the third largest in California history, is 45 per cent contained, according to CalFire.
However, the fire was so strong Saturday that firefighters had to stand down from the front lines, USA Today reported.
Hot Shots: The crew cuts a line among homes at the Thomas Fire on on Saturday in Montecito. The National Weather Service issued red flag warnings of dangerous fire weather in Southern California for the duration of the weekend
Public information officer Joe Rosa said: 'The smoke is so thick in places, and the winds so strong and the fire's behavior so erratic, it's just not safe for us to have crews staying in the fire area.'
The mandatory evacuation zone is now 17 miles long and up to five miles wide, extending from coastal mountains northwest of Los Angeles to the ocean.
Winds in the foothill area are hitting around 30 mph, with gusts up to 60 mph.
'Still praying for our little town': Winds picked up this morning creating a perfect storm of bad for firefighters,' Oprah said on Twitter, left. Right, Rob posted on twitter he was evacuating on Dec. 10
Close call: Fire passes between homes at the Thomas Fire on Saturday in Montecito, which has been ordered completely evacuated
'Still praying for our little town. Winds picked up this morning creating a perfect storm of bad for firefighters,' Oprah said on Twitter.
Rob posted an Instagram photo of his house on Saturday morning with a fierce inferno whipping the hills behind it. 'Pray for Santa Barbara,' he wrote. On December 10 he had posted on twitter that he was evacuating.
Hundreds of homes have been destroyed and one of the thousands of firefighters on the lines was killed Thursday. He was the second fatality in the Thomas blaze.
Red sky: Rob posted an Instagram photo of the flames behind his house on Saturday morning
Celeb haunt: Oprah (left) lives in Montecito, which is under mandatory evacuation. Her home is seen right in a file photo
Fanning the flames: Fires burned towards Cold Springs Trail as down-canyon winds increase near Montecito, on Saturday
Terrible consequences: The evacuation map as of noon on Saturday shows the mandatory and voluntary evacuation zones as fears grew for downtown Santa Barbara
Full extent: The Thomas Fire, now the third largest in California history, has now burned more than 270,00 acres, an area larger than the cities of New York and Paris combined
The inferno began December 4 in Ventura County and spread into Santa Barbara County, destroying more than 970 homes and other structures.
The voluntary evacuation zone affects as many as 33,000 people and extends into downtown Santa Barbara, and includes the Santa Barbara Zoo.
The zoo closed on Saturday and video showed the animals being put into crates to be evacuated.
'Some animals are going into crates and being staged for possible evacuation to predetermined locations. Staff has training and transportation. We DO NOT need public assistance. Do not come to the zoo. Stay safe,' the zoo said in a statement on Saturday morning.
Santa Barbara Zoo closed on Saturday and video showed the animals being put into crates to be evacuated
'Some animals are going into crates and being staged for possible evacuation to predetermined locations. Staff has training and transportation. We DO NOT need public assistance. Do not come to the zoo. Stay safe,' the zoo said in a statement on Saturday morning
The northbound lanes of US Highway 101, coming up the coast from Los Angeles, were closed for a few hours south of Santa Barbara, with cars stopped on the freeway.
Firefighter Cory Iverson, 32, was the second person to die in the fire on Thursday. Authorities have not yet released the circumstances of his death.
Virginia Pesola, 70, of Santa Paula, was evacuating earlier this month when she died in a car crash.
An army of 8,300 firefighters, 400 fire trucks, 29 helicopters and 77 bulldozers are fighting the blaze.
Singer Katy Perry posted on twitter on Saturday that her family were evacuating from the blaze
Katy Perry is pictured left with her mom Mary Perry Hudson and dad Keith Hudson. She is seen right with her brother David Hudson. Her family have been evacuated from the blaze
Maria Shriver shared a photo to Twitter of the blaze with the caption: 'From my friends in Santa Barbara. Continued prayers are needed for those battling fires and those in harms way'
Along with Oprah and Rob, celebrities including Ellen DeGeneres, Drew Barrymore, Jeff Bridges, Jane Seymour and Patrick Stewart own orphave owned properties in the area.
'It is right above the homes,' fire spokesman Jude Olivas stated.
Singer Katy Perry posted on twitter on Saturday that her family were evacuating from the blaze. 'Woke up to wish my mom a happy 70th birthday today to find my brother evacuating them from the insane #Thomas Fire in Santa Barbara County that has kicked up once again... praying for the firefighters & first responders that are fighting it back as best they can. Love you SB,' she wrote.
Maria Shriver shared a photo to Twitter of the blaze with the caption: 'From my friends in Santa Barbara. Continued prayers are needed for those battling fires and those in harms way.'
Author Christopher Moore shared his concern over how quickly the fire had spread in the Montecito area
Ellen DeGeneres shared her thanks for the emergency services on Twitter, as seen above
Billy Baldwin shared a snap of the blaze and again thanked the firefighters for their efforts in fighting the blaze
Fire engines provide structure protection at the historic San Ysidro Ranch in Montecito on Saturday
Fire trucks are seen staged near the intersection of Ashley Road and East Mountain Drive near Montecito on Saturday
Fire trucks are staged near the intersection of Ashley Road and East Mountain Drive near Montecito on Saturday
Pierre Henry, owner of the Bree'osh Bakery in Montecito, said he got a text to evacuate Saturday morning as the fire approached homes. He estimated the fire was about a mile away.
'The worst was the smoke,' Henry stated. 'You couldn't breathe at all and it became worse when the wind started. All the ashes and the dust on the street were in the air. It was very, very frightening.'
The city, according to Henry, became an eerie scene devoid of people except for firefighters and as many as 50 firefighter trucks.
'We left everything,' Henry stated. 'There is nobody in Montecito. Just firefighters.'
The cause remains under investigation. So far, firefighting costs have surpassed $100 million.
A helicopter drops fire retardant onto a hillside on Friday in San Ysidro Canyon in Montecito
A fire approaches the city of Fillmore on Friday. Unpredictable Santa Ana winds h ave pushed the fire closer as firefighters continue to battle the blaze
Thomas wildfire burns above Bella Vista Drive near Romero Canyon in this social media photo from the Santa Barbara County Fire Department in Montecito on December 12