'Big Bang Theory' actor Johnny Galecki's home destroyed by wildfire in California
A spokeswoman for Johnny Galecki, says his home on a ranch in the San Luis Obispo area was destroyed by the wildfire on the state's central coast. Credit: AP
“The Big Bang Theory” star Johnny Galecki has lost his vacation-home ranch in San Luis Obispo County, California, in the 1,598-acre Hill Fire that began Monday.
The Emmy-nominated actor was not in the house when the fire occurred and has not returned to it since the incident, according to his rep.
“My heart goes out to all in the area who are also experiencing loss from this vicious fire, the threat of which we live with constantly, which may seem crazy to some but we do so because living in our beautiful, rural area makes it worthwhile,” Galecki, 42, said in a statement.
“It’s never the structures that create a community — it’s the people,” he continued. “And if the people of Santa Margarita” — the nearby town of roughly 1,300 people — “have taught me anything it’s that, once the smoke has cleared, literally and figuratively, it’s a time to reach out and rebuild. We’ve done it before and we’ll need to do it together again.” A June 2015 fire four miles east of Santa Margarita had burned 1,000 acres.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, generally known as CAL FIRE, said Wednesday that the fire had been 65 percent contained and that an earlier evacuation order for residents would soon be lifted. The agency said the Hill Fire was two conjoined fires, one of which investigators believe was started by a car subsequently towed from the area.
Galecki, who has not commented on social media, went on to thank CAL FIRE and the local sheriff’s office. “I know you guys are fighting the good fight to keep us safe. So very relieved no one has been hurt,” he said.
The actor plays physicist Leonard Hofstadter on the long-running CBS sitcom.
