The villa of millionaire David Steiner resisted the flames which ravaged certain neighborhoods on the west coast of Los Angeles. We explain why.
While fires reduced many houses to ashes in Los Angeles, particularly in the prestigious Pacific Palisades neighborhood, one villa miraculously resisted.
This house located on the waterfront in Malibu was spared from the flames which have ravaged the region since Tuesday, reports the New York Post.
The house found intact
The property, estimated at $9 million (around 8.8 million euros), belongs to David Steiner, a 64-year-old retiree who made his fortune in waste management. Usually a resident of Texas, Steiner was not in Los Angeles at the time of the fires and did not expect to find his three-story vacation home intact.
According to him, the robustness of this house lies in its design and the materials used. “The house is made of stone and stucco, a mixture of cement, sand and lime”he explained to New York Post. The material is known for its durability, and the roof, designed to be fire-retardant, played a crucial role in slowing the spread of the flames.
-“My thoughts are with those who lost their main home”he said, adding that he did not lose any items of high sentimental value.
Similar choices
Architect Greg Chasen, whose house also withstood the flames thanks to similar choices, shared his views on X (formerly Twitter): “We need to rethink how we build in these at-risk areas.” He particularly stressed that wood, often preferred for its flexibility in the face of earthquakes, could be replaced by more fire-resistant materials.
More than 12,000 buildings or homes were destroyed or damaged, according to initial estimates. The human toll is also heavy, with at least 24 deaths recorded.
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