Bruce and Mindy Silverstein fled their Malibu home as the wind-driven Franklin fire encroached on their neighborhood and watched in fear from a nearby hotel as the blaze threatened to destroy their home in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains.
The couple had moved to California from the East Coast 13 years ago to be closer to their children and had come to love their corner of paradise. They knew the dangers of wildfires and were not deterred after the devastating Woolsey fire ripped through the community in 2018, burning nearly 97,000 acres across the region and destroying more than 1,600 structures.
Instead, Bruce, a lawyer, was motivated after the fire to get involved in local government affairs to advocate for more community resources. In 2020, he was elected to the City Council and last month won reelection. He was sworn into office Dec. 9, the same evening the Franklin fire broke out, eventually ballooning to 4,000 acres and destroying eight homes and numerous other structures.
As of Sunday, the fire was 42% contained, officials said.
Malibu Councilman Bruce Silverstein and his wife, Mindy, stand in the fire-damaged living room in their home Dec. 15, 2024.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
The Silverstein’s learned this week that their house had caught fire but that firefighters managed to save the two-story structure off Malibu Canyon Road. Still, the couple lost most of their heirlooms and possessions to smoke and water damage.
“We’re lucky because we weren’t there first of all, and we were safe,” Mindy said. “We still have our memorabilia and our heirlooms and everything smoke damaged as they are, but we will get a chance to choose what we want to keep.”
Since evacuating their home, the Silversteins and their German shepard Rain Bu have stayed at a friend’s place for a night and at hotels as they waited to learn about the condition of their home.
The fire-damaged fireplace in the living room of Malibu Councilman Bruce Silverstein’s home.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
After a fire broke out in one of the home’s walls early Tuesday, the family was certain that their home was “toasted,” Bruce said. Security cameras showed the bushes and grounds around their home all ablaze.
After the fire had swept through the area, they learned that firefighters managed to break in and extinguish the fire.
“They gave us a tour of the house and showed us what had happened. They’re very proud of the work they did,” Bruce said. “They saved the house.”
The couple are still trying to figure out what they can salvage from what remains. They’ve been moved by the outpouring of support from friends and family, including a woman who gave them a bag of dog toys for Rain Bu and friends who have offered them places to stay.
“I think people are largely in gratitude right now,” said Bruce, who has received calls and emails from constituents about the fire. “It was what it was, and it couldn’t have been any different. But I think for the most part, I’m sensing the community sentiment is: ‘Thank God for the fire department.’ They saved everything. They saved lives. They saved properties. We had minimal homes that were destroyed.”
After the Woolsey fire, he helped organize an effort to reduce legal fees charged by law firms to residents who suffered losses in the fire. He also worked with a charity to bring in psychologists to help residents coping with the trauma of the fire and offer free therapy sessions.
He said that experience has prepared him to help residents and the city get through the aftermath of the Franklin fire.
Malibu Councilman Bruce Silverstein and his wife, Mindy, walk past debris after their home was damaged by the Franklin fire. They have no plans of moving.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
In an email to residents, Bruce warned that contractors, lawyers, private insurance adjusters and other fire-related service providers are “flocking into Malibu [like] vultures to take advantage of our vulnerable position.”
“They claim to be offering help, but they are looking for work and have their own interests first,” he wrote. “We need to take our time, band together, and get the best service from the best service providers for the best prices for everyone.”
When asked whether they were considering moving out of Malibu, the Silversteins said they have no intentions of leaving. Other longtime residents who lost their homes to wildfires chose to stay and rebuild, Bruce said.
“I don’t think twice about it,” he said. “Just as long as we can afford to live there after we repair our home, I don’t have any desire to go anywhere else.”
Times staff writer Matt Hamilton contributed to this report.