‘Alaskan Bush People’: Brown Family Evacuates Washington Home Amid Wildfire

The Alaskan Bush People family was forced to evacuate their Washington home after a wildfire that has burned more than 17,860 acres in Okanogan County engulfed their home. The Brown siblings — Noah, Rhain Alicia, Rain, Bird and Bear — took to Instagram Sunday evening to share the tragedy that had affected their family and encourage their fans to donate to people in need.

“On August 18, a wildfire broke out near the Brown family’s land. The family is safe, but the fire is still raging,” a message from Discovery read, before Noah began, “There’s been a massive wildfire on Palmer Mountain.” Bear added, “Everybody made it out completely safe … we are all totally good!” While Bird thanked the first responders “working hard” to extinguish the fire, which as of Monday morning was considered 19% contained, Rain asked that fans of the Discovery show donate if able to help people in need from the fire: “To learn how you can help those fighting wildfire devastation, visit the American Red Cross at redcross.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS.”

Bear was the first of the Brown children to break the news, sharing photos of the fire burning on the Alaskan Bush People star’s mountainside home on his private Instagram. “We suffered a devastating lost [sic] yesterday, a fire swept through our mountain, our home! The lost [sic] seems to be great! It’s still burning! I’ll keep everyone posted! God bless!” he wrote. Later in the week, Bear shared a photo of the charred remnants of what appears to be the Brown homestead, adding Sunday a message of thanks for all the well-wishes he has received from his followers. “It’s always nice to have friends! Ones that really care about you! Especially in tough times,” he wrote.

The Palmer Fire sparked Tuesday, and spread quickly over thousands of acres, destroying more than 30 structures and displacing hundreds of families. Evacuations remain in place and the Federal Emergency Management Agency approved on Aug. 21 federal funds to assist in fighting the fire. The Palmer Fire is just one of several devastating wildfires burning along the west coast, after a series of wildfires broke across southern California.

With the new season of Alaskan Bush People kicking off Sunday, it’s unclear how much of filming has been completed and how much of Season 12 will be affected by their evacuation. It’s clear that the family’s displacement will definitely be part of the journey fans follow during the show, however.