Owner of mansion that survived LA wildfire says two specific design choices are the reason his house escaped disaster.
David Steiner’s $9 million mansion was left ‘miraculously’ undamaged by the fires compared to others on Malibu’s coastline
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.
David Steiner’s mansion somehow survived the fires (JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)
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.
The rest of the coastline was reduced to ashes (JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)
“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.”
Kanye West’s Malibu mansion drastically drops in value
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 [email protected].
Featured Image Credit: Houston Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers/Getty/JOSH EDELSON/Getty
Published 10:12 11 Jan 2025 GMT
Owner of mansion that survived LA wildfire reveals why he thinks his house escaped disaster while neighbors’ burned down
David Steiner thought he had lost his $9 million Malibu mansion
The owner of a mansion that miraculously survived the devastating Los Angeles wildfires has revealed why he thinks his home escaped disaster.
At least 11 people have lost their lives as a result of the devastating fires, while more than 10,000 homes and other structures are said to have been destroyed.
David Steiner, from Texas, is one of the lucky ones as his $9 million Malibu mansion is somehow still standing after the raging fires approached his home.
The 64-year-old retired waste-management higher up thought his mansion was a goner after a local contractor sent him a video of flames and smoke engulfing nearby properties.
The mansion miraculously survived the blaze (JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)
But somehow, the house – which was vacant at the time – is still standing.
Steiner told the New York Post: “It’s a miracle — miracles never cease. [The contractor] was watching the news reports and saw my neighbor’s house going down and told me, ‘It looks like your house is going, too.
“It [the video] looked like nothing could have possibly survived that, and I thought we had lost the house.”
Once the fire had calmed down, Steiner was expecting his mansion to be burnt to the ground, bun then he received the unexpected news it was still standing.
He added: “I started getting pictures and realized we had made it through. My wife sent me something this morning that said, ‘Last house standing’. And it brought a pretty big smile to my face at a pretty bad time.”
As for how the mansion survived the fire, Steiner told the New York Post how the property’s ‘ultra-sturdy construction’ likely saved it from the fires.
“It’s stucco and stone with a fireproof roof,’’ he said.
Steiner thought his mansion was a goner (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
While Steiner is grateful his mansion survived the fire, he’s understandably hurt by the devastating events taking place in LA right now.
“It wasn’t a happy time,” he said of the moment he received texts stating his home was being engulfed by flames. “But I can replace it. It’s not a person.”
Steiner continued: “I was getting texts from people saying, ‘We’re praying for you. It’s so horrible’. I said, ‘Don’t pray for me — what I lost is material goods.’ … I lost a property, but others lost their homes.”
The home doesn’t have the usual family connection you get with a property, with Steiner explaining how he bought the mansion when two of his sons were in the area for school.