"Climate change is anticipated to increase the frequency, duration, and intensity of wildfires, with fires that occur more often, last longer, and burn hotter." — Michelle Bell, Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies
“This snarling fire tornado was on its side. It was creepy, and that unnerved me a lot" - Richard Reynolds
"The fire didn’t just take the house where Eliot had lived his entire life; he lost the home that was the center of his best childhood memories." - Eliot Lefevre
“Just as I decided to consider the house a loss, I was hit by flying material as the roof collapsed.” - Jefferson "Zuma Jay" Wagner
“When I came back three hours later, the house was 80 percent gone. I might easily have been fried if I had stayed.” - Mark Brown and Kay Lenz
“Someone joked that my new album should be titled ‘Out of the Ashes.’” - Andrew von Oeyen
“I don’t have to be afraid of anything now, because what else is there? I’m ready for the Apocalypse!” - Lita Albuquerque
“It took me three hours to get to the animal hospital, but I stayed there until midnight. I was not going to let it burn – even if all I had to defend it with was a garden hose.” - Dr. Dean Graulich
"We drove down to Pacific Coast Highway. That's when we saw the Armageddon dark cloud crashing over the Santa Monica Mountains." - Devon and Tullie Meyers
“Every time I go to the property, I think, ‘What am I going to rebuild? It looks like Beirut after the war…And it was my dream property – the most beautiful property I’ve ever owned.” - Catherine Oxenberg
“Most of my clients were also burned out, so there went my income.” - Dennis Duran
"The first couple of days I saw deer with burned patches, and the mice got flushed out of the canyon and were going after rubber in the car engines." - Robert Huizenga, MD
“The fire captain said, ‘A firenado hit this place. It acted like water and went right over our heads. It’s a new kind of monster.’” - Jennifer and Brian Pietro
"About 6:40 pm, another fire engine showed up – this one from Palmdale. They tried to put out my neighbor’s house but couldn’t, so they rolled up their hoses and left.” - Willie and Jeannie Buckley
“Our five year-old told us not to cry, ‘Don’t be sad, it’s only a house.’” - Daniel Hahn, Yvonne Busch and Theodore
"Off we went down Trancas Canyon. None of us thought this would be the last time we'd ever see our home or our belongings." - Christie Carr, Eric Stabenau, Lauren & Spencer
“You lose your house, and they can condemn you over a driveway? If you end up losing everything over a driveway, that’s when the pitchforks and torches will come out.” - Bill and Leslie Bixler
“Literally a month before the fire, we finally finished remodeling our house. We called it ‘Happiness on a Hill.’” - Edward and Kate Franey
“It was like ‘Somebody get me the pillowcases so we can save the snakes!’ We evacuated to our son's apartment and the snakes stayed there with us for a while.” - Bryan and Kay Gabbard
“Ashes take away what you have, leaving you life, memories and a desire to kick ass and simplify.” - Aimee Hamel, Dana Hartley, Leah Hamel
“The house served us really well and provided a place for all our kids to grow up. The kids all feel really bad about it, like their childhoods have gone up in smoke.” - George and Margaret Hauptman
"The Red Cross couldn't get in and there was no bottled water, hot coffee or anything. One lady had two cases of wine, so she started pouring for everyone." - Judi and Bob Hutchinson
“We’re devastated for what we all lost but we also look forward to rebuilding with our friends and neighbors. We are Malibu Strong!” - Jeff, Kris Jennings and Family
"I don’t really want to rebuild or have a tenant to make ends meet. Besides: even if we hadn’t lost the house in the fire, we would’ve lost it to the mud flows that happened later.” - Michelle Lefevre
"His art project is in the garage. Eddie says once he finishes the piece, he’s thinking of setting it on fire again. It’s cheaper than therapy." - Murphy Family
“The wind just stopped and went negative. It was like nature was inhaling; and the fire turned into a tornado. Homes weren’t just catching on fire; they were exploding.” - Sue and George Poptsis
“We brought champagne to the photo shoot because enough time had passed that we wanted to celebrate life instead of the loss.” - Terri Keossaian, Judy Varley, Carol Ornelas and Mary Pritchett
"I feel like I got erased – like my existence got erased.” - Laurel, Thea and Richard Stutsman
“The smoke blew up the hill and the wind shifted, and I heard this wailing sound – almost like it was human.” - Vince and Rain Tuomey
“I now feel that, when we go back to where the house was, I'm like an archaeologist excavating the modern era.” - Gail Block and Elias Davis
"It was this wild mixture of grief and joy. Although the house had burned, the recording studio had survived untouched by the fire." - Richard Gibbs
“Whooosh! The whole canyon there went up at the same time, and it was like a fire tornado.” - Carolyn and Walter Hoefer
“There’s a video of my house burning with fire trucks parked right in front of it, and all of the firefighters just watching it burn. They did nothing to stop it.” - Lois and Lisa Nugent
“I'd gone over it hundreds of times in my head, what I would take if there was a fire - but when the fire actually comes, everything goes out the window." - Jon, Dee Dee, Jak, and Georgia Krawczyk
“I was able to get some of my Mom’s jewelry out of my closet... all my Bibles, a beautiful crucifix from Mexico City that was my grandmother’s, and photos.” - Lupe and Neil Witt
“I felt like that movie ‘Girl Erased’ – every memento, keepsake, photograph, handwritten letter and trip souvenir was gone. There was no longer any solid proof of my life.” - Scott and Jimy Tallal
“We loved our house... We also hosted a wedding there, both our girls were baptized there, and we had many Christmases.” - Mia, Kristen and Talia Swindal
“When the wind really came up, it sounded like a freight train." - Rebecca and Paul Spiegel
"Then a man and a dog walked out of the smoke. The man had no choice but to evacuate on foot, so we picked him up and drove him to safety.” - Ali and Gary Richardson
"Each of us has life’s lessons and I accept it, and I’m stepping up and learning to the very best of my ability.” - Jackie Peterson
“One rule we learned: after four to five days without power, don’t open that fridge unless you’re ready to run!” - Stephen Smith, Stan Smith and Carla Bowman Smith
"Two days after the fire we saw a dozen or more deer come down the driveway looking for creek water, along with lots of coyotes and quail.” - Melissa Ireland and Mark Olsen
“Only in Malibu can you lose a million-dollar home and save a $15 cat, and everybody’s happy.” - Randy Nauert
All images © Eric Myer Photography