Hurricanes do not spare the rich and famous, and Sir Richard Branson knows this first hand. His luxurious home on the Caribbean Necker Island was recently struck by lighting and caught fire when Hurricane Irene reached it. As if that was not enough, the strong winds also battered the structure, causing even more damage.
There had been around twenty people inside the house when the fire started, and fortunately they all made it out safely. But for this to happen, famous actress Kate Winslet had to play a little hero: she saved Branson’s 90 years old mother from the burning house. Later Branson joked about the matter saying that Winslet “was wondering when a director was going to shout ‘Cut!’”. Both the famous actress and Branson’s mother came out unharmed.
Necker Island was the place where Richard Branson’s 29-year old daughter had planned to have her wedding this winter. The house is now destroyed, but its rich owner declared that he still intended to play host for his beloved daughter’s big day. “We’ll make sure that Necker Island is back and ready for her wedding, so we’ve got something to aim for at Christmas-time this year”, he said. Fortunately, only the Great House was damaged, while the rest of the island survived.