Sydney Sweeney has promoted multiple fundraisers to support her native Spokane, Washington, as ongoing wildfires impact members of her own family.
The 28-year-old actress posted a series of messages on Instagram Stories, calling attention to the fires that government officials said on Tuesday had scorched more than 10,546 acres and affected at least 700 structures.
"Spokane has always been home to me," the Emmy-nominated star of The White Lotus and Euphoria wrote. "It's where I grew up, where my family still lives, and where so many of the people and places that shaped me are."
She added that "the devastating fires have changed countless lives in ways that are hard to put into words."
Evacuation orders
Sweeney said her relatives were among an estimated 65,000 people placed under evacuation orders, according to USA Today.
"Thousands of families have lost their homes, their belongings, and places of business, including members of my own family," she said, noting that "this devastation is something our community has never experienced on this scale."
"Unlike larger cities that often receive an overwhelming amount of national attention and resources, Spokane doesn't have the same spotlight," Sweeney added.
She told followers that "if you're looking for ways to help," there were four organisations she was supporting that were "doing the real work on the ground" to help the community. She shared links for the Innovia Foundation, SpokAnimal, Watch Duty, and Second Harvest.
"Every donation, no matter the size, will help support those affected as they begin the long road to rebuilding," she said. "Thank you for standing with my hometown during one of its most difficult moments. Love, Syd."
The actress subsequently reposted a message from the Baby2Baby nonprofit, which stated it had delivered almost "350,000 emergency supplies including diapers, wipes, formula, hygiene products, towels, comfort items and bottles to support children and families displaced by this disaster."
Family history in Spokane
Three years ago, Sweeney told Harper's Bazaar Australia about her maternal family's history in the area, explaining how the 2008 economic crash ultimately led them to move to Los Angeles so she could get her beginnings in show business.
"It's very difficult coming from a small town and a lower-middle-class family, affording two places at the same time," Sweeney said. "Then the crash happened, and my dad lost his job, and we lost our home."
Her parents decided to stay in Los Angeles because they felt they had nothing holding them back home. Once established in Hollywood, Sweeney eventually purchased a house that her great-grandparents once owned.
"To be able to put memories like that back into our family was very special," she told the publication.
Arson arrest
On Monday, officials announced that 37-year-old Spokane resident Aaron F. Farinacci had been taken into custody and held on a $1 million bond on suspicion of first-degree arson, according to the AP.
Farinacci, who denied starting the blaze, had been questioned by authorities twice last year in other fire-related probes, according to records in Spokane County Superior Court.
Authorities said he previously served about 10 years in prison for the fatal shooting of his father in Mesa, Arizona, in 2010. Court records indicate he entered a guilty plea to manslaughter and aggravated assault in 2012.
