• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Owner of mansion that survived LA wildfire reveals why he thinks his house escaped disaster while neighbors' burned down

Home> News> US News

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

Callum Jones

Callum Jones

Featured Image Credit: JOSH EDELSON/Getty/JIM WATSON/Getty

Topics: Los Angeles, News, US News, Weather, Environment, Property

Callum Jones
Callum Jones

Advert

Advert

Advert

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.

Advert

The mansion miraculously survived the blaze (JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)
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."

Advert

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.

Advert

Steiner thought his mansion was a goner (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
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."

Advert

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.

Choose your content:

an hour ago
2 hours ago
3 hours ago
  • an hour ago

    Trump has scathing response to ‘stupid people’ who are ‘unhappy’ with him acquiring 10% of Intel

    It comes after California's Governor Gavin Newsom mocked the president by posting a picture of him with the communist Soviet Union flag

    News
  • 2 hours ago

    Chilling way sister found out brother had been murdered after he left for 'errands'

    Josh Rivera was found gunned down in October 2023

    News
  • 3 hours ago

    Lil Nas X charged after allegedly assaulting officers while walking naked in streets of LA

    The rapper is facing four felony charges LA police confirm

    Celebrity
  • 3 hours ago

    Truth behind chilling theory that no one is ‘allowed’ to die at Disneyland

    "No one dies at Disney World," one former employee claims his manager told him after a guest fell ill

    News
  • Owner of mansion that survived LA wildfire says two specific design choices are the reason his house escaped disaster
  • Architect of home that survived LA wildfire reveals 'design choices' that helped it remain standing
  • Spencer Pratt reveals plans to sue state of California after he and Heidi Montag lose house in LA wildfire
  • Paris Hilton praised for incredible donation to victims of LA wildfires after losing entire home