In the news today, there’s a story about a fire at Sir Richard Branson’s Caribbean home. The fire was started when lightning hit the Virgin boss’ ‘Great House’ on his private island, Necker. The island is located in the British Virgin Islands, and was hit by a tropical storm last night.
There were approximately 20 guests staying at the property, including Sir Richard’s 90 year-old mother, and the Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet, who was on holiday there with her boyfriend and two children. The multi-millionaire was staying at another property, approximately 100 yards away, with his wife Joan, and their 25 year old son, Sam.
Ms Winslet and Branson’s nephew, Jack, rushed to the aid of the other guests, and Kate helped to carry out Branson’s mother from the burning building.
Everyone managed to escape from the building unharmed, and although there is a lot of damage to the property, everyone is staying on the island for the time being. Mr Branson said that his office, which was based in the house, had been completely destroyed, adding “I have lost thousands of photographs, which is very sad”.
The 60-year-old purchased the entire island of Necker in the early 1980s, building an onsite eco-resort as well as his Great House in 1982.
Sir Richard said: “It’s very much the Dunkirk Spirit here. We want to rebuild the house as soon as we can.
“We have a wonderful staff here and we want them to stay in work.
“There’s a lot of damage but we’ll create something even more special out of the ruins.”
