Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch in Danger of Destruction Due to Massive Wildfire

Michael Jackson 's Neverland Ranch may be in danger of burning down.

According to a report, the late pop icon's former California estate is in the path of a massive wildfire that has hit Santa Barbara County.

The blaze, which has been dubbed the "Lake Fire," has spread to more than 12,000 acres and has already caused evacuations of the surrounding areas.

As OK! previously reported , Neverland Ranch was purchased by Ron Burkle in 2020 for $22 million after five years on the market. The sprawling property will take center stage in the upcoming biopic about Jackson's life, where his nephew Jaafar will play his famous uncle.

Jackson, who died in 2009. resided on the lot from 1988 until 2005 after purchasing it for $17 million. Following his acquittal of child molestation, he never returned to the ranch.

The home was the place where many accusers claimed the "Billie Jean" singer would spend time with kids. However, Brad Sundberg , a former technical director for Jackson, who also worked on the ranch, denied that the artist did anything wrong.

"Not in a million years did I ever see a child around Michael Jackson that looked like they had been distressed, hurt, abused," the ex-staffer alleged in an interview. “Neverland was such a peaceful, safe, fun place. ”

Following the bombshell 2019 documentary, Leaving Neverland , which focused on the alleged victims of the chart-topper, the Jackson estate sued HBO for $100 million dollars claiming they violated a 27-year-old non-disparagement clause from a 1992 concert film from the Dangerous tour. "HBO breached its agreement not to disparage Michael Jackson by producing and selling to the public a one-sided marathon of unvetted propaganda to shamelessly exploit an innocent man no longer here to defend himself," the estate attorney Howard Weitzman said in a statement.

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In response to the lawsuit , the network stated, "Despite the desperate lengths taken to undermine the film, our plans remain unchanged. HBO will move forward with the airing of Leaving Neverland , the two-part documentary, on March 3rd and 4th. This will allow everyone the opportunity to assess the film and the claims in it for themselves."

The Jackson estate ultimately won the appeal. "The contract contained a broad arbitration clause that covers claims that HBO disparaged Jackson in violation of ongoing confidentiality obligations," the court ruled. "We may only identify whether the parties agreed to arbitrate such claims; it is for the arbitrator to decide whether those claims are meritorious."

TMZ first reported on the path of the wildfire.