Amid Total Destruction in the Palisades Fire, One $9M Mansion Survives Unscathed—Owner Calls It a Miracle
As flames ravaged Los Angeles, reducing over 5,000 buildings to ash and consuming more than 20,000 acres, one property in the Palisades stood untouched—an astonishing survival that has everyone talking.
The $9 million estate belongs to retired waste-management tycoon David Steiner. While his neighbors watched their homes vanish in smoke, Steiner’s three-story mansion remained standing, almost as if protected by fate itself.
“When my contractor sent me a video on January 7, I thought for sure it was over,” Steiner told the New York Post. “He saw my neighbor’s house engulfed in flames and said, ‘Yours is next.’ But then… it wasn’t.”
As the disaster unfolded live on TV, Steiner’s phone blew up with texts and calls. His home was plastered across news reports—not because it burned, but because it survived. “My wife sent me a message that said, ‘Last house standing,’” he recalled. “It brought a pretty big smile to my face at a pretty bad time.”
Steiner believes the survival of his mansion wasn’t just luck. “It’s built like a cruise ship,” he said. Designed to withstand earthquakes, the home features a fireproof roof, stucco and stone construction, and pilings that plunge 50 feet into bedrock. “I always thought the only threat was the ocean or an earthquake—not wildfire. But somehow, this place held.”
The blaze that threatened Steiner’s neighborhood may not have been an accident. Authorities say the Kenneth Fire, which spread dangerously close to Calabasas and Hidden Hills, was deliberately set. A man was arrested after locals spotted him riding a bicycle, carrying a torch, and trying to ignite trash cans and old Christmas trees.
Among those who lost their homes are several well-known celebrities, including Anna Faris, Eugene Levy, Paris Hilton, and Billy Crystal.
Despite the devastation all around, Steiner remains grounded. “People were praying for me,” he said. “But I told them—don’t pray for me. This house isn’t my home. We didn’t make family memories here. Pray for the people who lost everything.”
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