Sunday, October 21, 2007

Malibu Fire Update

According to our sources, winds have died down somewhat and the firefighters are able to concentrate on various hot spots. However, the warm Santa Ana winds often kick up in the early evening, so let's all cross our fingers and toes that hundreds of firefighters and water drop planes are able to be successfully get the various blazes under control.

Reports say several areas have been evacuated including many houses along Malibu Road, the Malibu Colony, and Carbon Beach. These areas are filled with the homes of rich and famous folks like Jennifer Aniston, Sting and Trudie Styler, David Geffen, Larry Ellison, Tanya Tucker, Linda Ronstadt, Bill Murray, Goldie Hawn, Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen, Jerrold Perenchio, and many, many more. And those are just the folks on the ocean. There are also lots of celebs up in the hills including Britney Spears, Kelsey Grammar and Olivia Newton John.

But let's be real folks, it doesn't matter if you're rich and famous when it comes to the tragedy of fire. Your Mama aches for all the people in Malibu, not just the celebrities.

The photo above is the remains of the Castle Kashan. Sad, sad, sad to lose a landmark residence like this.

Go firefighters, GO!

Sources: KABC via CNN (photo)

14 comments:

Lost Cause said...

Yup. Quite an update.

Anonymous said...

Castle Kashan WAS for sale. Yikes.

http://guests.themls.com/profile_page.cfm?mls=07-151997

Anonymous said...

Wow...if I'd have only read the damn post below, I would've know that mama mentioned the sale already.

Anonymous said...

the locals will be muttering those infamous few words -

'i guess we'll just rebuild'

Juda1 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

The castles chandelier in the foyer was insured for $1M - a news reporter & friend of the owner was up at the scene & going through the things that the firefighters managed to save including portraits & photos of the owner meeting president nixon & portraits of her father etc - all very sad when they show you personal items & you see the few things ppl manage to save.

Anonymous said...

The castle was on the market for 17 million. Locals referred to it as an eccentrics hippie pad for Ms Lawrence allowed anyone and everyone to shag there.......

Anonymous said...

This castle was Originally Known as “Hodge Castle”, as it was built by (My) family practitioner Dr Tom Hodges in the 1970s. Dr Hodges was a Korean War Army Doctor, who had a family practice clinic in Malibu up until his retirement in the early 1980s. I remember going to the house/castle- warming party in my early teens. Being before HMOs, I guess Doctors could still afford castles back then; The castle has been featured on a few TV shows, including the Rockford Files.

Agent #777 said...

My memory may be way off, but wasn't that the house in Hostage?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0340163/

Anonymous said...

Sad news indeed. And to think, just a few blocks away is Geffen's newly reopened, transmogrified, "used to be my favorite hotel but now I wish it would just go away" Malibu Beach Inn. Oh, the fickle flames of fire.

Anonymous said...

Anon 9:55, "the locals" would be wrong in that case. I know a lot of people in the area were unhappy about the castle being built in the first place but to slam a later owner who is known as a kind and classy philanthropist is just rude. Not saying no one ever had sex up there, it was a wedding rental and more than one couple probably consumated their marriage before leaving.

Anonymous said...

Malibu's report from the LA Times

Malibu's past is laced with blazes

The devastation is all too familiar
Malibu has a long history of brush fires:

January 2007: A brush fire whipped by high winds destroys or damages 11 seaside homes along Malibu Road.

January 2003: A wind-driven blaze, possibly sparked by downed power lines, damages three homes and forces the evacuation of scores of residences in Encinal and Decker canyons.

October 1996: A brush fire ignited by an arcing power line destroys 10 homes in Malibu, Calabasas Canyon and Corral Canyon, and burns close to 14,000 acres. Malibu's estimated cost of fighting the fire is $1 million.

November 1993: Three people die when an arson-suspected blaze roars through Calabasas, Malibu, Topanga Canyon, Rambla Pacifico and Tuna Canyon, destroying 388 structures, including 268 homes. Damage is estimated at more than $219 million. Disaster relief costs for Malibu total $7.8 million.

October 1985: Two arson-caused brush fires in Malibu, one on Piuma Road and another in Decker Canyon, destroy six homes, causing more than $1 million in damage.

October 1982: A wind-swept fire travels from Dayton Canyon, northeast of Canoga Park, to the Malibu coast, destroying 97 homes and burning 54,000 acres. Estimated damage is $8.5 million.

October 1978: Eight almost-simultaneous fires destroy 230 homes in a series of blazes stretching from Malibu to Agoura and Mandeville Canyon. One man is killed, and damage is estimated at $71.4 million as 26,000 acres are burned.

September 1970: Ten people die and 403 homes are ravaged as several blazes combine into a single wall of flames 20 miles long, stretching from Newhall to Malibu. The conflagration chars 435,000 acres and causes an estimated $175 million in property damage.

Anonymous said...

Having experienced the devastation of fire on our home (ours was one of the ten in '96), all I can say is no one, and I mean no one, can fully realize how awful it truly is to suffer such a loss...

I've spoken to a few of our friends and so far anyway, it appears no of them have lost property. For that I'm happy, but to the other people who have lost their property, etc. I'm truly sorry.

Steve Kossover said...

Celebrity Hair Stylist home is for sale in the Hollywood Hills. Jose' Eber's home is for sale. I'm one of the realtors selling his home. The view is Spectacular of downtown to the Beach on a perfect smokeless day. We will have a website on this home soon. It's being listed with Rodeo Realty at 4.295 million. Twilight Broker Open on tuesday Oct 30th.