A vintage blue VW van miraculously emerges unscathed from a deadly Los Angeles fire

An unexpected AP photograph of an untouched Volkswagen van amidst the devastation of a Los Angeles wildfire has left viewers amazed

Preston Martin thought the retro blue Volkswagen van he lived in during college was likely destroyed after he parked it in a Malibu neighborhood shortly before the Palisades fire swept through, reducing homes and cars to rubble and ash.

To his astonishment, the van survived. Even more surprising, a photograph of the vibrant blue van taken by an Associated Press photographer began circulating widely online and on television, bringing viewers a sense of joy amidst the devastation.

“There’s magic in that van,” said Martin, 24, in an interview with AP. “It makes no sense why this happened. It should have been toasted, but here we are.”

The neighborhood remains off-limits to the public, so neither Martin nor Megan Krystle Weinraub, his friend and the van’s current owner, have been able to inspect it in person. In other photos, soot is visible on the van’s windows, Martin noted.

Martin, a mechanical engineering graduate from UC Santa Barbara, bought the 1977 Volkswagen Type 2 during his junior year, somewhat impulsively. His mother, Tracey Martin, initially criticized the purchase but later embraced it, even sewing curtains for the windows when Martin converted the van into his home for his senior year.

Last summer, Martin sold the van, nicknamed Azul—Spanish for “blue”—to Weinraub, 29, a designer of surf and skateboards under the Vibrant Boards brand. Martin himself crafts carbon fiber surfboards through his company, Starlite. On January 5, the two friends drove Azul to go surfing. Afterward, Martin parked it on a hill near Weinraub’s apartment by the Getty Villa, as she was still learning to drive its manual transmission.

Just two days later, the Palisades fire broke out. Weinraub fled with her dog, Bodi, and some essentials in her main car, feeling resigned to losing Azul but grateful her losses were minor compared to those who lost homes or loved ones.

Days later, a neighbor sent her a photo. In the background stood Azul, unscathed, its bright blue and white exterior untouched by the fire.

“I freaked out,” Weinraub said. “I was in the bathroom and screamed.” She immediately called Martin, who also couldn’t believe it. His mother, overjoyed, texted him: “I’ve never cried for a car before.”

Their amazement grew when the AP photo was featured on the news and spread online. “We made the news,” Martin shared on Instagram, while Weinraub contacted the photographer.

Though she hasn’t been able to return to her apartment or the van, Weinraub is thrilled that Azul’s survival has inspired so many.

“It’s so cool that it’s become this beacon of hope,” Martin said. “Everything around it was destroyed, and then there’s this bright blue shiny van, sitting right there.”

Author: