Wildfire Threatens Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch

Michael Jackson ’s southern California estate, Neverland Ranch, lay in the path of a fast-moving wildfire that on Sunday prompted authorities to order an evacuation. The order, affecting around 100 people, applied to an area near the Los Padres National Forest, including the spot where Jackson’s 2,700-acre property sits, according to The New York Times . The blaze, called the Lake Fire, was 8 percent contained as of Sunday night and stood as the state’s largest active wildfire. It began Friday around 4 p.m. and had burned through more than 16,000 acres as of Sunday afternoon, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said in an incident report . No injuries or fatalities were immediately reported, and it remained unclear how the blaze began. Jackson purchased the Neverland Ranch property for $17 million in 1998, building it up into a massive complex that famously boasted an amusement park, working zoo, and other attractions.

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