The massive Lake Fire that is blazing through SoCal reached Neverland Ranch on Tuesday ... but fire crews were able to save the property, TMZ has learned!
Capt. Scott Safechuck, spokesman for the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, tells TMZ the wildfire ... which so far has scorched more than 26,000 acres ... reached the iconic -- and infamous -- Michael Jackson estate.
A damage assessment is currently underway on the sprawling property ... but SS tells TMZ that no major damage appears to have been inflicted ... SS also noted there were no reports of injuries from the crew battling at Neverland.
As TMZ previously reported, the Santa Barbara County Fire Department had a beefed-up crew at the property, along with several trucks and even a fire aircraft at the ready, to combat the blaze. And they did it!
The crew was more than ready ... but it was super helpful that the current Neverland owner ... billionaire businessman Ron Burkle, who purchased it for $22 million in 2020 ... did an excellent job with wildfire mitigation on the property, SS told us.
Neverland will be a backdrop for the soon-to-be-released MJ biopic, simply titled "Michael." The movie stars MJ's 27-year-old nephew Jaafar.
The area is not out of danger ... SS telling us the fire is only 12% contained ... and hot spots can wreak havoc, undoing the progress crews are making. Bottom line ... peeps need to stay out of the area for the foreseeable future!