Sydney Sweeney reveals her family has been affected by ‘devastating’ Washington wildfires

Sydney Sweeney has been doing volunteer work in her hometown of Spokane, Washington amid ongoing wildfires, which she said have impacted members of her family. 

The 28-year-old actress and her boyfriend Scooter Braun, 45, have been helping on the ground, bringing food to firefighters and helping prepare and distribute meals to those affected by the fires, according to TMZ.

The pair have volunteered with Second Harvest Food Bank in Spokane and World Central Kitchen. 

Sweeney has also been seen buying groceries and working with restaurants in the area to secure food and shelter for residents who have been uprooted from their homes, a source told the publication. 

The Euphoria star has also reportedly made generous donations to a number of relief organizations. 

On Tuesday, she took to her Instagram Stories with a series of messages as government officials said the blaze had scorched more than 10,546 acres and affected at least 700 structures.

Sydney Sweeney, 28, has organized a fundraiser amid ongoing wildfires in her native Spokane, Washington which she said have impacted members of her family. Pictured in LA last year 

‘Spokane has always been home to me,’ the A-list actress wrote on the social media platform. ‘It’s where I grew up, where my family still lives, and where so many of the people and places that shaped me are.’

Sweeney, who’s received Emmy nominations for her work on shows such as The White Lotus and Euphoria, said that ‘the devastating fires have changed countless lives in ways that are hard to put into words.’

The Daily Mail has reached out to representatives for Sweeney for further comment on the story. 

Sweeney said that her relatives were among 65,000 people officials estimated were under orders to evacuate their homes, according to USA Today. 

‘Thousands of families have lost their homes, their belongings, and places of business, including members of my own family,’ Sweeney said. 

The star said that ‘this devastation is something our community has never experienced on this scale.’

Sweeney added that ‘unlike larger cities that often receive an overwhelming amount of national attention and resources, Spokane doesn’t have the same spotlight.’

‘If you’re looking for ways to help, these are four organizations I’m supporting that are on the ground right now helping this community that needs us,’ she said.

Sweeney added links to organizations she said were ‘doing the real work on the ground’ – including Innovia Foundation, SpokAnimal, Watch Duty and Second Harvest.

She noted, ‘Every donation, no matter the size, will help support those affected as they begin the long road to rebuilding.

The actress and her boyfriend Scooter Braun, 45, have been helping on the ground, bringing food to firefighters and helping prepare and distribute meals to those affected by the fires, according to TMZ; Sweeney pictured doing volunteer work in Spokane on Wednesday 

The pair have volunteered with Second Harvest Food Bank in Spokane and World Central Kitchen; The duo seen in 2025

Government officials Tuesday said the blaze had scorched more than 10,546 acres and affected at least 700 structures 

The A-list actress wrote on the social media platform about her fondness for her hometown 

Sweeney thanked her followers for their support amid the troubled time in Spokane 

‘Thank you for standing with my hometown during one of its most difficult moments. Love, Syd.’

Sweeney subsequently reposted a post from the nonprofit Baby2Baby, which indicated 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.’ 

Sweeney opened up to Harper’s Bazaar Australia three years ago about how her maternal side of the family was from the area.

She said that the 2008 economy crash ultimately led them to move from Spokane to Los Angeles, where she was getting 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.’

‘My parents just made the decision, “Let’s just stay in LA; we don’t have anything holding us back home anymore.”‘

Upon establishing herself in Hollywood, Sweeney said she 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 outlet.

Firefighters seen battling a blaze adjacent to a home on August 1 

Photographs depicted the devastating aftermath of the fire in Spokane 

On Monday, officials announced that Spokane resident Aaron F. Farinacci, 37, had been taken into custody and held on $1 million bond in connection with 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, per records in Spokane County Superior Court.

He had previously served about 10 years in prison after fatally shooting his father in Mesa, Arizona in 2010, authorities said. 

He entered a guilty plea to manslaughter and aggravated assault in 2012, court records indicated.

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