Actor Rob Lowe feeds California firefighters who saved his home
— -- "Parks and Recreation" actor Rob Lowe thanked firefighters in Southern California this week in the best way he knew how: He fed them.
Lowe shared an image of his "new friends" having dinner at his home on Monday as they continued to battle the massive Thomas wildfire, which has already claimed the lives of two people.
“Dinner for new friends at our house,” Lowe wrote in an Instagram post Monday, showing a group of smiling firefighters in uniform and chowing down on what looked like cheeseburgers and pasta.
“Thank you to all the crews from all over the country who stood tall and saved my town,” the actor wrote in a subsequent post.
He also posted an image of himself in bright yellow firefighter's gear on Saturday, with the caption: "Helping earlier today. You do what you can, but when it’s time ... you GO.”
The three images had accumulated more than 100,000 likes, collectively, by early Tuesday morning.
Lowe is among the many Hollywood stars with properties in the path of the fast-moving wildfire, which made its way toward the wealthy enclave of Montecito, California, over the weekend. Media mogul Oprah Winfrey and comedian Ellen DeGeneres also have homes in the path of the fires.
Worsened by brutal winds and bone-dry conditions, the fire has burned at least 271,000 acres in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, making it the third-largest wildfire in modern California history, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The largest fire on the department's list, which dates back to 1932, is the 2003 Cedar fire, which charred more than 273,000 acres and killed 15 people.
The Thomas fire was sparked on Dec. 4, and authorities say it could take weeks to fully contain. It has reduced more than 1,000 homes and business to ash and damaged hundreds of others. It was 50 percent contained as of late Monday, officials said.
