A Malibu resident is telling his story about how he captured a now-viral photo of a Volkswagen Bus that survived the deadly Palisades Fire on January 7.

“Get out of the house, now! There’s a massive fireball heading your way,” Pacific Palisades resident, Matt Baker, recalled a friend calling him to give him this urgent warning as the fire started.

“I stayed in the danger zone far longer than I should have. I was determined to make sure all my neighbors safely evacuated,” Baker said about staying to fight the flames.

He gathered belongings, moved vehicles away from incoming flames, hosed down his house and other homes on his block, and helped elderly neighbors evacuate.

“It was intense—heat, smoke, exhaustion—but the instinct to help and hold on was stronger than the fear. It’s in moments like these you truly understand the meaning of community and resilience,” Baker said in an interview with KTLA.

On January 8, a day after the fire started, Baker assessed his neighborhood. He said right away he noticed his neighbor’s 1977 Volkswagen Type 2 Bus somehow survived the fire, “I had to tell her right away! We are all so close, and this was a glimmer of hope!”

Megan Weinraub, the owner of the bus, had parked on a flat part of the street by her apartment before the fire broke out, because she’s still new to driving stick, and wanted to avoid starting on a hill.

She only recently bought the bus from her friend, Preston Martin.

When she had to evacuate her home, she knew others would be worried about the bus.

“Since the day I brought the van home, it’s become part of my neighborhood,” she said. “I’ve been posting photos of it, and now everyone on my street recognizes it—along with my dog, who’s often right there with it.”

Weinraub hasn’t been able to return home, and said she’s grateful for Baker sent her photos of the bus, “I immediately shared it with Preston, knowing how emotionally attached he is to the van. I’ve kept him in the loop because it means a lot to both of us.”

Martin, the original owner of the bus has always said, “There’s magic in that bus!”

In an interview with KTLA, the pair said, “The most surprising thing about this van going viral is how deeply it resonated with people. It’s become a symbol of light and hope, especially during such dark and uncertain times.”

Weinraub said she wants to use this opportunity of going viral to raise awareness and give back to her community. She is an artist and the owner of the customer surfboard shop, Vibrant Boards.

She has started a raffle and donation campaign to support those affected by the wildfires. All the information can be found on her website.

Baker said he looks forward to seeing “Megan’s magic blue bus” continue to drive up and down PCH like it always has, “In the midst of so much loss and chaos, the bus feels like a little symbol of resilience and hope, reminding us that some things can endure even the fiercest storms.”

After the family of Grayson Roberts, a Southern California boy who is blind due to a rare eye condition, lost their home in the Eaton Fire, community members are coming together to support them.

The wildfire ignited on Jan. 7 and before long, 10-year-old Grayson Roberts’ home was in the path of danger. His family recalled the moment they knew something was very wrong.

“The sky was red, which isn’t typical,” said Grayson’s mother, Terica Roberts.

It was Grayson’s older brother, Gavin Roberts, 16, who first noticed the smell of smoke.

“When I walked out the door, the fire was just right there,” Gavin recalled. “You could see it from the mountains and it was just blowing towards our house.”

“At the rate the wind was blowing, I knew we had to go,” Terica said.

With only minutes to escape, Terica and her three sons grabbed whatever they could and fled from the home to safety. The next day, they discovered their house had burned down. 

Grayson, who has a passion for music and raising awareness for other blind children, lost all of his instruments, along with his Braille materials.

“Grayson was born completely blind,” Teria explained. “He has aniridia. It’s a chromosomal defect where his eyes never completely developed. So that’s basically the cause of it. And he has glaucoma.”

Terica says it’s been an incredibly tough time, but her family is grateful to have each other and Grayson’s unshakeable optimism as they navigate the long road to recovery.

“I told everyone while we were staying at my uncle’s that when life gives you lemons or burnt houses, you make lemonade,” Grayson said. “To the people of Altadena — let’s rebuild and make our community better and bigger.”

Over 5,700 structures, many of them homes, were destroyed in the Eaton Fire, according to CalFire.

A GoFundMe page to help the Roberts family can be found here. A fundraiser to help the family rebuild can also be found here.

(NewsNation) — Victims affected by the deadly Los Angeles County wildfires whose federal disaster relief claim was denied may actually just be missing documentation or information on their claim.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is asking fire victims who filed claims for federal assistance to read a letter detailing their eligibility for federal assistance before becoming discouraged. FEMA officials said repeatedly that a simple fix can be made during the appeal process.

Since the outbreak of the fires last week, many applicants for federal assistance have reported receiving denial letters from FEMA. Although such letters may seem to indicate that a person is ineligible to receive financial help from the federal agency, applicants may still be able to receive relief aid.

FEMA says a common reason why applicants received letters denying their claim or stating that a decision was pending was a lack of information provided by the applicant. Missing information that could result in a denial includes insurance details, an estimate for a contractor’s work, proof of occupancy or a missed appointment with a FEMA inspector.

On Monday, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chairperson Kathryn Barger said FEMA has set up several field offices to work with victims of the deadly fires.

“FEMA relief is essential to getting our impacted residents back on their feet,” she said.

On Tuesday, efforts that began with FEMA officials setting up workstations at local libraries will transition to centralized assistance centers. The centers will be located at Pasadena City College and the UCLA Research Park. Barger said residents will be able to receive in-person support for lodging and essential items and help with other large-scale needs.

More than 26,000 people have registered for assistance under President Joe Biden’s Major Disaster Declaration. Biden has said that the federal government will cover 100% of the costs for the next six months associated with the fires.

Barger said that she has heard from many residents, especially those who are uninsured, who are concerned that they will not receive enough federal assistance to help them with their rebuilding efforts. Barger said in addition to advocating for federal assistance, she will also be pushing for what she called innovative loan and housing solutions that will allow residents to return to their communities.