Reports are that over 5,000 buildings, including homes, businesses, and landmarks have also been destroyed.
Authorities believe that the Kenneth fire, that threatens homes near Calabasas and Hidden Hills was set on purpose by a man that has since been arrested. The suspect was detained by the locals until police arrived. He was seen riding a bicycle and carrying a torch, trying to lit garbage cans and old Christmas trees.
Among those who lost their homes are a number of celebrities, among which Anna Faris, Eugene Levy, Paris Hilton, and Billy Crystal.
Tycoon David Steiner is surprised his property remained untouched by the raging flames.
When a local contractor sent him a video from the fire on January 7, Steiner, a retired retired waste-management businessman, was certain his three-story home was doomed, but that’s not what happened.
“[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’,” Steiner stated to the New York Post.
Soon, people started calling him on the phone, telling him his home was all over the news.
“I started getting pictures and realised we had made it through,” Steiner continued. “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.”
He believes that the house survived due to its cruise ship-like construction.
“It has an ‘ultra-sturdy construction’ and was built to withstand earthquakes,” the father of three said.
He explained that “It’s stucco and stone with a fireproof roof,” and boasts pilings ‘like 50 feet into the bedrock’ which keep it steady when strong waves crash in.
“To be totally honest with you, I never in a million years thought a wildfire would jump to the Pacific Coast Highway and start a fire,” Steiner said. “I thought, ‘If we ever have an earthquake, this would be the last thing to go’. I honestly didn’t think that if we had a fire, this would be the last thing to go. And it was.
“The architecture is pretty nice. But the stucco and fireproof roof are real nice.”
When people texted him, saying they were praying for him, Steiner said he’d only lose a property, not his home. He didn’t have family memories there. He says we need to pray for those who have lost their homes.
