My timing was perfect. I left on a trip abroad the week before the fire and returned when power was restored. I had closed all the windows so no soot or ash intruded. And a dear friend, unbidden and unbeknownst to me, had cleaned out my fridge and freezer. I had dodged a bullet. One’s blessings should be counted regularly.
Maybe it was the ice plants that covered the canyon slope below me that saved my house. Or maybe it was a lucky change in wind direction. So many others did not fare well. Like the graceful blue-gray house on Birdview Road with its broad cantilevered balcony, that nestled on the slope across from me. All that remained were piles of blackened debris, a bare fireplace, and a gaunt chimney. Many other houses in the Point Dume area also burned to the ground, and others were severely damaged. On Birdview and Dume roads were skeletons of houses next to houses totally unscathed. The randomness of fate’s fickle finger is frightening.
So what is the take-away? I hope it is more than finger-pointing and recrimination. Hindsight always provides 20/20 vision. We must learn what we can from this catastrophe and make whatever changes are indicated to minimize the impact of a recurrence. Is undergrounding power lines the answer? The cost would be passed on to customers. Are we willing to pay for it? But regardless, the risk of future fires in this seemingly perpetual drought-stricken area is a hazard that will continue. It comes with the territory, like the San Andreas Fault below us.
As I drove with the top down through the devastated areas, I silently thanked whoever or whatever was responsible for sparing my house. Despite what I saw I am deeply appreciative of living in Malibu. I am grateful for the warm ocean breeze flowing over me, the bright blue sky above and the sun warming my back, the delta of pelicans gliding by, and the sparkling ocean heaving beyond. I will continue to count my blessings.
Malibu is still here, and I would not live elsewhere.
Hank Pollard