This has been two days of terrible fires in Southern California. We have personally been very lucky, with no loss of property or life in the immediate family. So far, the closest scrape has been the Roca fire in Aguanga. But the extended family was not so lucky.

There has been major damage to Lindemann house in Malibu. I was watching TV as the fire was burning, and was quite worried when I saw houses burst into flames at the ocean’s edge. The main fire was burning inland, but embers were blowing out over the Malibu Colony. The LA Times story on the fire has the following quote:

Among the other structures gutted was a home along Malibu Road. Its owner, Barbara T. Lindemann, said the house, built in 1927, was once inhabited by workers who built the railroad down the California coast. She said she has owned the home for 45 years.

Andy Lyon, a Realtor who helps rent the home for Lindemann, said it was worth $12 million to $13 million, and had burned once before, when singer John Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas lived there.

“I believe that it was the last standing one of the original Malibu cottages,” said Lindemann, an attorney and expert in employment discrimination law. “It’s a piece of Malibu history.”

I remember the fire when John Phillips lived there. He left many of his belongings, including a large, psychedelic statue of a man with his arms raised.

Here are some pictures of the fire burning. We had hoped that it was OK because the roof was intact, but there was damage in the house from the heat of the fire next door. In the first picture, the Lindemann house is on the right.

In this second shot, the house is in the foreground.

Prayers to all who have suffered loss in these wildfires.

UPDATE: I found another photo. This is looking in from the beach to the house.