Another home is damaged; no one is injured. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
By Jonathan Frochtzwajg / Special to The Malibu Times
A raging fire broke out last week at Paradise Cove Mobilehome Park, destroying one home and damaging a neighboring one. The cause of the blaze is unknown and under investigation.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies responded to reports of the fire on June 7 to find the mobile home engulfed in flames, said Sgt. Tom Youngren. The fire had spread to a Volkswagen vehicle, a Quad Runner and a golf cart, all situated in the mobile home’s driveway. It had also spread to another nearby mobile home.
Capt. Dave Leary, of L.A. County Fire Department’s Station 71, said his engine company was alerted to the fire at approximately 12:30 p.m., and that once they had arrived at the scene, the fire took 10 minutes to extinguish.
The doublewide mobile home, Leary said, was a “total loss.” Youngren estimated the total loss, including the destroyed mobile home, the damaged mobile home and the vehicles in the driveway at $500,000.
A routine arson investigation is presently underway, Youngren said. Detective Gary Spencer of the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department’s Arson/Explosives detail said a woman in the vicinity of the burning mobile home heard popping sounds, causing some to believe that the fire was instigated by an explosion. He noted that the popping could have been caused by aerosol cans near the flames.
Bob Shore, the owner of the destroyed mobile home, was out of the country at the time of the fire.
Community members have begun a campaign to assist Barbara Rude, the owner of the damaged mobile home adjacent to the decimated mobile home. Susan Manners, a friend of Rude’s, who has spearheaded these efforts, gave a grim assessment of the fire’s aftermath.
“The home where the fire started is obliterated,” she said, “[Rude’s] is unlivable…It’s pretty messy.”
Manners said Rude had only limited insurance, is living on a limited income and is now effectively homeless.
“She’s actually a very cool old lady,” said Manners, who is asking that donations for Rude be given to the Malibu United Methodist Church. “This is just an awful thing to have happened.”