Chat show host Oprah Winfrey and actor Rob Lowe have expressed the fear that their homes and communities could be burnt in the deadly wildfire that has scorched the US state of California for nearly two weeks.

Winfrey tweeted: "Still praying for our little town. Winds picked up this morning creating a perfect storm of bad for firefighters."

Lowe, who played Sam Seaborn in "The West Wing", shared a picture on Instagram, showing the blaze, called the Thomas fire, raging in the hills behind his home, reported thesun.co.uk.

He said: "Our house. Approx 7:30 a.m. (Saturday). Pray for Santa Barbara."

https://www.instagram.com/p/BcxjHuwBnHu/?taken-by=robloweofficial

The blaze has burned over 267,000 acres (108,000 hectares), making it the third-largest in the state's history.

Several celebrities like Drew Barrymore, Patrick Stewart and Ellen DeGeneres are known to have homes in Montecito, which is in the coastal foothills north-west of Los Angeles.