The man who owns the Malibu mansion which survived the Los Angeles wildfires has shared a touching tribute to the those who 'lost everything'.
The death toll from the blaze has increased to 16, while thousands of homes have been destroyed.
Last night (11 January) Cal Fire reported that the Palisades, Eaton, Kenneth and Hurst fires had consumed about 62 square miles, an area larger than San Francisco.
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Texas businessman David Steiner, 64, said it was 'a miracle' that his three-story house was spared.
"I was getting texts from people saying, 'We’re praying for you'. It’s so horrible," he told The New York Post.
"I said, 'Don’t pray for me — what I lost is material goods'. I lost a property, but others lost their homes.
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"I didn’t have my family’s mementos there. It wasn’t my family home.
"My heart goes out to those who lost their homes.
"I didn't have my family's mementos there. My heart truly goes out to those who lost everything.
"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."
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On why he thinks the structure survived, the lawyer and former head of Waste Management, Inc., in Houston, said: "It’s stucco and stone with a fireproof roof," with pilings 'like 50 feet into the bedrock' to keep it steady when powerful waves crash into it.
"And then the back balcony looks like the balcony off a cruise ship.
"And it feels like a cruise ship because you’re right there on the water."
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Although, he admitted: "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.
"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,” he said of the 4,200-square-foot, four-bedroom home. "And it was. The architecture is pretty nice. But the stucco and fireproof roof are real nice."
A number of celebrities, including Paris Hilton, Billy Crystal and Eugene Levy have lost their homes in the blaze.
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One of the fires, known as the Kenneth fire, is believed by police to have been started intentionally and a man has since been arrested on suspicion of arson.
Topics: US News
Anish Vij