The California mountain town where HGTV star Heather Rae El Moussa grew up, and where her parents still reside, is under threat from a rapidly advancing wildfire. On September 8, 2024, Cal Fire reported that the fire was endangering over 35,000 structures and had already injured three of the more than 600 firefighters battling the blaze.
As the fire approached her hometown of Running Springs on the night of September 7, El Moussa took to Instagram, urging her fans to “please pray” for her parents, Dan and Teresa Young.
“Please pray for my little hometown of Running Springs in the mountains,” the *Flipping El Moussas* star wrote in her Instagram Stories. “There’s a fire 0% contained and heading towards them. My home since I was eight years old. 😢 My heart is so sad for our town.”
Heather Rae El Moussa Says Her Parents Have Been Evacuated Twice Due to Line Fire
On September 8, KCAL reported that the wildfire had “exploded” overnight, with officials describing thunderstorm-like clouds formed by the intense smoke. Over 1,100 lightning strikes were recorded in the area, further complicating firefighting efforts.
A state of emergency was declared in San Bernardino County, according to NBC4 Los Angeles, as the 17,000-acre Line Fire surged through Southern California amid scorching heat. Thousands of residents, including Heather Rae El Moussa’s parents, have been forced to evacuate.
In her Instagram Stories on September 7, Heather Rae El Moussa shared that her parents were “evacuated and safe.”
However, by the morning of September 8, she posted another update, writing, “The fire is 0% contained. My parents were evacuated a second time from where they were staying. It’s a mess in my little town, and the fire is spreading like crazy. 😢😢” She also added, “Praying for everyone’s safety & all the animals.”
Heather & Tarek El Moussa Have Frequently Visited Her Parents’ Mountain Home
Heather Rae El Moussa and her husband, longtime HGTV star Tarek El Moussa, are very close to her parents and often visit them in Running Springs with their children. The couple shares one-year-old Tristan, and Tarek has 50/50 custody of 13-year-old Taylor and nine-year-old Brayden, from his previous marriage to HGTV star Christina Hall.
In 2020, Tarek posted on Instagram about visiting Running Springs, writing, “Being in the mountains is so different than the city. Time moves a little bit slower… it’s refreshing!”
Heather also shared a memory from a 2020 hike in the mountains with Taylor and Brayden, expressing her joy that her parents could be “bonus grandparents” to the kids.
The Young family faced another challenge in Running Springs in February 2023 when a heavy snowstorm left Heather’s parents stranded at their home. Heather expressed her frustration on Instagram, saying they couldn’t visit while her sister Piper was in town from Minnesota.
“I can’t talk too much about it because I don’t want my mom to see this and cry,” Heather wrote. “My parents were supposed to be with us, but the weather in CA has been insane, so they’re fully snowed in at our Running Springs house. They can’t even leave because of how unsafe the roads are, but hopefully, the weather gets a little better 🤞🏻 and they can be here with us 🤍”
Just hours after sharing the news of her parents’ evacuation, Heather posted a video in her Instagram Stories from a recent family trip to Disneyland, taken two days earlier.
“Even though my stress is super high right now, I woke up with anxiety. Being a mama and showing up is #1,” she wrote.