Amazingly, Steiner’s three-story home stood, boldly intact, while the wildfires in LA destroyed everything in their path and left neighborhoods in ashes.
Texas native David Steiner is a retired waste management executive. The father of three feared the worst when the fire destroyed his opulent Malibu house, but he was ecstatic when the “miracle” occurred.
Over 20,000 acres have been destroyed by the fire, one of eight burning throughout Los Angeles County, though firefighters have now put out three of them.
After the Palisades fire destroyed his neighborhood, David Steiner’s $9 million Malibu villa remains intact on his property.
Owner of Malibu home that survived the LA wildfire shares his experience
Regarding his Malibu property surviving the Palisades fire, which has destroyed over 10,000 homes and other structures, the 64-year-old remarked, “It’s a miracle—miracles never cease.”
Steiner claimed that he believed “nothing could have possibly survived that” when his contractor informed him that the fire had destroyed both his house and the nearby structures. He told the New York Post, “And I thought we had lost the house.”
Stainer told The New York Post that ‘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.’
He also added, “I thought , ‘If we ever have an earthquake, this would be the last thing to go.’ I honestly didn’t think if we had a fire, this would be the last thing to go.The architecture is pretty nice. But the stucco and fireproof roof are really nice.”
Although important, Steiner clarified, the Malibu house is not his primary family residence.
The family no longer frequently uses the house, which he bought many years ago when two of his boys were attending nearby schools.
People then started contacting the New Orleans business tycoon to let him know that his “house was all over the news,” but not for the reason he was expecting.
The mansion was observed towering tall opposite its devastated neighbors, like a phoenix emerging from the ashes.
He continued, ‘I started getting pictures and realized we 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.’
The Architecture of the ‘Malibu’ house surviving the LA wildfire
The $9 million Malibu mansion, which belonged to David Steiner, survived the recent LA wildfire due to it’s fire-resistant and cruise ship design.
- Fire-resistant materials: The mansion’s stone and stucco walls, along with its fireproof roof, make it less likely to catch fire during wildfires.
- Structural Stability: The building’s designers installed pilings that extend about 50 feet into the bedrock, primarily for earthquake protection. This choice also enhances the structure’s overall durability.
- Distinctive Design Elements: “Cruise ship” architecture influences the house’s design, featuring balconies that resemble those on a cruise liner and a fireplace chimney shaped like a ship’s smokestack.
These structurally sound and fire-resistant architectural decisions were essential to the mansion’s survival throughout the destructive wildfires that destroyed nearby properties.
