Singapore woman's $62 million family home in Malibu feared destroyed by LA fires

Entire neighbourhoods in California have been levelled after wildfires tore through parts of Los Angeles since last Tuesday (Jan 7).

According to ABC News on Sunday, it is estimated that the fires could be the costliest in US history, destroying more than 12,000 structures, including multimillion-dollar properties across the Pacific Palisades and Malibu, home to many Hollywood stars.

One Singaporean woman living in the US has also expressed fear that her family's beachfront mansion in Malibu is among the many homes that have been incinerated by the fire.

The 39-year-old homemaker, Zeng Xiangting (transliteration), currently lives in West Los Angeles with her husband and children, reported Shin Min Daily News. She shared that while they remain safe from the wildfires for now, their holiday home overlooking Malibu beach is unlikely to have survived the fire.

Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, she shared that the house is usually used by her mother-in-law to conduct tea ceremony classes.

"Luckily no one was there that day. I don't know what the situation is like now, but I know that it is among the hardest-hit areas and the building is likely destroyed," said Zeng.

She added that as her parents-in-law are Japanese, the home was built by Japanese contractors and the tea ceremonial apparatus used by her mother-in-law are all one-of-a-kind, with some passed down through generations.

"It's a pity we were not able to get them out, but we've prepared ourselves that the objects as well as the house are probably gone," said Zeng.

Based on a search on the Internet, the Malibu home is estimated to be valued at around $45.4 million (S$62.3 million), Shin Min reported.

Zeng told Shin Min that as due to the extensive damage caused by the fires so far, they might not be able to make a full claim through insurance.

The worry is echoed by many residents who've had their homes reduced to ashes, reported Reuters on Saturday, with fears that insurance companies may go bust or that subsequent premiums will be astronomical.

Zeng added that while the place where they're living is safe, the air quality is poor. There have also power supply outages, which affected the operation of traffic lights in the area. "Fortunately, everyone remained controlled and there was no chaos."

Saw raging flames a distance from their doorstep

Another Singaporean couple affected by the devastation is award-winning animator Roger Lee and his wife Pan Meihua (transliteration), Shin Min reported.

Pan told Shin Min that the family of five, including their triplets, live in a residential area near the Eaton fire.

From their doorstep, they'd seen the flames raging a distance away on Tuesday evening

"Luckily the fire did not continue towards our home," said Pan, who added that they've resorted to wearing masks due to the poor air quality which also affected visibility.

"This reminded me of the Indonesian forest fires and haze in Singapore," she shared.

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candicecai@asiaone.com