Rob Lowe makes dinner for firefighters to thank them for saving his California home

'Thank you to all the crews from all over the country who stood tall and saved my town,' says actor

The destructive California wildfire fuelled by fierce winds has wreaked havoc on local neighbourhoods through forced evacuations (Getty Images)

Rob Lowe invited firefighters battling the raging California wildfire which is the third largest in the state’s history to a meal at his home after they strove to save his hometown.

The actor, who rose to fame for playing Sam Seaborn on political drama The West Wing, shared a photo of his “new friends” having dinner after they had worked hard fight the massive Thomas Fire as it grew closer to his own and others homes in Montecito in California.

In a picture posted on his Instagram, the fire fighters could be seen smiling as they enjoyed a giant spread of spaghetti and burgers.

“Dinner for new friends at our house,” he captioned the image.

Before serving up the dinner at his home, Lowe was forced to watch as the ravaging flames came worryingly close.

“Thank you to all the crews from all over the country who stood tall and saved my town,” he said in a separate post.

But the actor, who has also starred in TV series Parks and Recreation and Brothers & Sisters, got involved in fighting the fire himself on Wednesday.

“Helping earlier today. You do what you can, but when it’s time.. you GO,” he said on Wednesday.

The three images have already amassed more than 100,000 likes between them.

The destructive California wildfire fuelled by fierce winds has wreaked havoc on local neighbourhoods through forced evacuations.

The so-called Thomas Fire in Southern California has obliterated more than 1,000 structures, threatened 18,000 others, and killed one person since erupting on 4 December. Authorities have said it would take weeks to manage to wholly contain.

The inferno has burned more than 276,500 acres of land and has surpassed New York City’s 195,000 acres.

Residents were forced to flee from the affluent town of Montecito, which is just outside the coastal city of Santa Barbara, and also home to Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres and other high profile figures.