Hollywood actor George Clooney (65) and human rights lawyer Amal Clooney (48) have left their French estate after wildfires broke out near the southeastern town of Brignoles, local authorities confirmed on Thursday.

The celebrity couple, who have nine-year-old twins, own Domaine du Canadel, a sprawling property close to where flames erupted on Wednesday evening.

“At this point we have no idea whether our beautiful home makes it through this terrible moment,” the Clooneys wrote in a letter to the mayor of Brignoles, quoted by People magazine.

They added they hoped all neighbours remained safe and pledged to help rebuild the community regardless of what happens to their property.

The mayor said the couple were not ordered to evacuate but left as a precaution. Their estate includes an 18th-century manor house, a pond, a swimming pool and vineyards across 170 hectares.

The Brignoles fire has scorched 130 hectares and forced more than 600 residents to flee their homes. Most returned on Thursday.

By Thursday afternoon, 270 firefighters remained on the scene with four water-bombing helicopters. Four firefighters sustained injuries.

France has been fighting some of its worst forest fires in recent memory over the past week. The largest blaze has consumed 42 000 hectares in the southwest.

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