“Why don’t we live here?” we inevitably ask during every visit. For decades, Malibu, the coastal community idealized by the Beach Boys, this pocket of coastal California along Pacific Coast Highway from Santa Monica to the Ventura County line has been the promised land. With the best weather on the planet, endless mountain and ocean views, recreational opportunities, and the best beach near a major airport, life in this paradise has beckoned for decades, but hell exists alongside heaven here on the coast, in the form of mudslides, earthquakes and wildfires.
Despite the risks of those natural disasters, 45-year oldest son Gabriel and his wife Deb settled here. With their two boys, Desmond, 11, and Vincent, 4, they worked hard to rehabilitate an old wooden frame home in Topanga Canyon. The elementary school is nearby, so are baby-sitting grandparents. Gabriel’s mom, Sheri, lives in Mandeville Canyon, Deb’s parents a few miles away in Santa Monica.
Over the years, whatever the emergency, once it played out, the entire community worked to restore, rebuild and re-establish heaven-on-earth. This time, however, the level of destruction wreaked by historic wildfires marks the end of an era. Malibu and adjacent communities will never be the same.
Wednesday, January 8, 2025
Here is how it started for our family. The red-hot Santa Ana winds that drove the current crisis began swirling late Tuesday into Wednesday, Jan. 8, stoked by arson or downed power lines or campfires or lightning strikes. The historic extent of the current nightmare became gradually apparent as the sun rose over Los Angeles in air so thick with fire and smoke it looked like a dull red ball slowly rising through a thick orange fog.
Eerie light revealed chaos, heartbreak, homes and businesses already burning, exhausted firefighters working to rescue families and pets. Vehicles abandoned, wrapped in smoke. Flames still spreading, Gabriel, Deb and the kids evacuated their canyon home last night. Now, they join thousands praying that the arbitrary, wind-driven flames don’t take their home.
Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025
From Altadena to Malibu, despite the mortal danger and a mandatory evacuation order, some are afraid to leave their homes because a scummy few opportunists are taking advantage. At least two dozen looters have been arrested. They should be punished severely and publicly shamed.
Friday morning, Jan. 10, 2025
Killer winds returned, erratic, driving and sparking fresh outbreaks. Beachfront housing along Pacific Coast Highway is literally built on stilts. Those charming seaside bungalows are gone, probably never to return. An era that ran a century, making Malibu one of the most charming places on Earth, is over.
Saturday morning, Jan. 11, 2025
Hopefully, the worst wildfires ever are partially contained. Damage may reach $150 Billion. Will insurance companies survive? Many people have lost everything. At least 16 or more are dead. Some are missing. Thank God and random luck, Gabriel’s home is intact. Sheri’s home in Mandeville Canyon is also standing, although she and her neighbors have not been allowed access since Wednesday.
Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025
Deb, my daughter-in-law praised the first responders Saturday.
“The fire crews on the ground and in the air were relentless.”
It was a temporary respite, the winds forecast to return, sparking embers and fresh outbreaks. Our deepest condolences to the families who lost loved ones. It is an epic disaster, the Katrina of wildfires, the most expensive ever. The toll will get worse as bodies of people and pets are recovered.
Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025
Grateful and relieved to report the fire line is so far holding this morning around Topanga Canyon. The entire area is still a hot spot. Gabriel sounds more melancholy today, reporting only a 60% to 70% chance his home will ultimately survive. Other areas like Pacific Palisades are already obliterated. The Pacific Coast Highway is a road through a barren hellscape. Relief efforts are gearing up. Massive government programs will help sustain families. Many have lost everything.
This tragedy has nothing to do with DEI or any of that ideologic crap you are hearing on cable news or podcasts. We will figure out what went wrong with the reservoirs, water pressure, etc., and whether it was anyone’s fault. High wind warnings are posted through Wednesday, Jan. 15.