The owner of a mansion engulfed by the Palisades Fire has spoken out about the ‘miracle’ of it being engulfed in flames and it looking like ‘nothing could have survived’.
Wildfires have been sweeping across California, engulfing Los Angeles and leaving destruction in their wake, thousands of structures damaged or destroyed, hundreds of thousands of people impacted and at least 11 dead, The Guardian reports.
Many people’s homes and businesses have been destroyed, with a number of those affected also including some celebrities.
And an owner of a house which survived one of the wildfires has since opened up about why he believes it has remained standing.
David Steiner owns a three-storey mansion in Malibu worth nearly $9 million.
The property was empty at the time the fires first erupted, according to the 64-year-old retired waste-management executive and dad-of-three from Texas.
However, a local contractor sent Steiner a video of the property and surrounding area on Tuesday (January 7) after spotting it on the news, with the house next door ‘going down’ and the contractor warning Steiner that his house looked like it was ‘going too’.
Steiner told the New York Post it didn’t look like anything ‘could have possibly survived’ the blaze he saw in the footage and he believed he’d ‘lost the house’.
However, he then received images showing the house had ‘made it through’ and the house was actually the ‘last house standing’ according to his wife.
Steiner attributes the ‘miracle’ down to two specific design elements of the property – ‘it’s stucco and stone with a fireproof roof,’ he explains.
He added the property also has pilings which are ‘like 50 feet into the bedrock’.
Aarself explains: “One of the most well-known construction techniques, piling is the process of driving or boring long, slender columns (known as piles) deep into the ground to form a pile foundation for buildings, bridges or other structures.”
Although, Steiner admits the design elements would’ve meant the property would’ve been more protected from an earthquake opposed to a fire.
“I honestly didn’t think that if we had a fire, this would be the last thing to go,” he added.
Steiner ultimately resolved: “I was getting texts from people saying, ‘We’re praying for you. It’s so horrible’. I said, ‘Don’t pray for me 0 what I lost is material goods.’ […] I lost a property, but others lost their homes.”
You can support those affected by the fires by donating to the Red Cross online, by calling (800) 733-2767 or texting REDCROSS to 90999.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact GrieveWell on (734) 975-0238, or email info@grievewell.com.
