David Steiner's California home, built to withstand earthquakes, miraculously survived the devastating Malibu wildfires while neighboring multi-million dollar properties were reduced to ashes. Though grateful, Steiner acknowledges the tragedy of those who lost their homes and focuses on the resilience of the human spirit.
by the raging Los Angeles wildfires told The Post on Friday he was stunned to learn that when the smoke cleared, it was still standing. “It’s a miracle — miracles never cease,” said retired waste-management exec and married dad of three David Steiner, 64, of Texas.
Steiner said he thought his stunning three-story California structure — which was vacant at the time — was a goner when a local contractor watching the news reports and saw my neighbor’s house going down and told me, ‘It looks like your house is going, too,’’’ Steiner recalled.Then people started contacting him saying, “Your house is all over the news,’’ Steiner said of the extraordinary photos capturing his unique white three-story structure standing like a beacon in the middle of the charred smoking remains of neighboring multimillion-dollar properties.“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.”Steiner, a lawyer and former head of Waste Management, Inc., in Houston, said he believes that his property’s ultra-sturdy construction — likely designed to protect it from earthquakes —“It’s stucco and stone with a fireproof roof,’’ he said, adding that it also includes pilings “like 50 feet into the bedrock’’ to keep it steady when powerful waves crash into the seawall below it.Forecast for damages in LA fires triples to $150B — costliest blaze in US historyEveryday heroes step up to save the elderly from Los Angeles fires“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,’’ Steiner said. “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, which he bought from a producer. “And it was.But the dad said that while he is grateful for his situation, he is keeping everything in perspective. “It wasn’t a happy time,’’ he said of watching the smoke and flames surrounding his house. “But I can replace it. It’s not a person.“I said, ‘Don’t pray for me — what I lost is material goods.’ … I lost a property, but others lost their homes,’’ he said. “I didn’t have my family’s mementos there. It wasn’t my family home,’’ said the dad, explaining he bought the property when two of his three boys were in the area for school and the family needed a place to stay while visiting them. “My heart goes out to those who lost their homes,’’ said Steiner, adding his property was not being used as a residence anymore at the time
CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES Malibu MIRACLE DAVID STEINER HOME SURVIVES DISASTER RESILIENCE EARTHQUAKE PROOF
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