Two melted chunks of yellow plastic, which used to be children’s chairs, lay side by side in front of a swing set. The roof of the playhouse is charred, dangerously close to collapsing.
The playground behind the Malibu Presbyterian Church was a picturesque spot before this past weekend, when the Canyon Fire swept through and destroyed it and the entire church.
The final flames have been extinguished, and now residents of Malibu must rebuild their community. Fifteen homes and seven businesses were completely destroyed or seriously damaged in the fire, and many other homes suffered general smoke and heat damage.
The Canyon Fire was one of multiple fires throughout Southern California that have been burning since Sunday. Over half a million people were evacuated at one point and President Bush, who will tour the area today, signed a major disaster declaration for California.
The fire has spanned over 674 square miles and destroyed 1,500 homes in areas such as Lake Arrowhead, Orange County and San Diego County.
Fire officials said fires north of San Diego have been mostly contained, with the Los Angeles County fires contained halfway or more.
However, the six fires in San Diego County continue to put over 8,500 homes in danger. In San Bernardino County, one fire could potentially destroy 6,000 more homes.
Six people have died in fire-related incidents, according to the medical examiner of San Diego, where county officials said they estimate property damage to top $1 billion.
Winds were up to 100 mph at one point, making the fight against the fire difficult earlier this week, but they dropped Wednesday to 21 to 36 mph.
Improving wind conditions were helpful for firefighters, who used helicopters and air tankers to put out the giant blazes. Officials are still investigating the causes of the different fires.
One fire in Orange County is under investigation for arson. Experts say the fire had three separate ignition points in close proximity.
Back in Malibu, the church’s conference room is still neatly put together, with all of the chairs pushed in. The surface of the table is bowed and filled with water left over from the efforts of the firefighters.
The seats on the carefully arranged chairs have melted through. Inside the fireplace, the metal curtains designed to keep a small fire contained have done an effective job of keeping the big fire out. The logs within remain untouched.
The church was not the only landmark the city lost. Only the front gate remains of the historic Kashan Castle, owned by philanthropist Lilly Lawrence. Tommy Davis, a firefighter for the Los Angeles County Fire Department, said this kind of damage is expected under the wind conditions.
“The damage gets crazy when you have the wind blowing and the fire going so fast,” Davis said.
Ino Hernandez, a fiberoptics technician with HG Communications Inc, was there to help replace the cable lines. The crew had worked quickly to return things to normal for residents.
“Cable’s already done. Took us one day,” Hernandez said. He added that the heat was to blame for the downed lines.
“(Flames) will melt the fibers,” Hernandez said.
Kurt Kamm is a Malibu resident who returned to his street when it was safe to do so. The house across the street from his burned to the ground.
Kamm said those neighbors had only finished construction on their house two weeks ago. Their street was evacuated early Sunday morning. Kamm said he stayed as long as possible, but left when he could see the fire glowing orange over the ridge, blocking out the sunrise.
Kamm parked his truck in a lot a few miles away from his home. Then the trees in the parking lot caught on fire, and he thought the fire would surely destroy his home and everything around it.
“I sat in my truck and cried for about two minutes. I was numb,” Kamm said.
After about 45 minutes, Kamm said the smoke started to clear. He looked up the mountain and saw that some of the trees were still standing. Upon returning home, he discovered that his house was untouched by the flames.
“We’re just so lucky,” Kamm said.
With reports from Bruin wire services.