1977 Volkswagen bus becomes icon of strength after surviving Los Angeles wildfires untouched
- A Volkswagen bus has become an unlikely symbol of strength
- The 1977 retro bus was left unscathed after the LA wildfires
- Images show the bus surrounded by devastation
Published on Jan 17, 2025 at 1:21 AM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Jan 17, 2025 at 9:26 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
A 1977 Volkswagen bus has become an unlikely icon of strength and resilience after it survived the Los Angeles wildfires untouched.
The Volkswagen Microbus was one of many vehicles that got caught up in the devastating fires that tore through Los Angeles earlier this month.
The retro VW van was parked in a Malibu neighborhood but was somehow left completely unscathed.
Images of the blue Volkswagen have been shared online where it’s been hailed as a beacon of hope and strength in the wake of the tragedy.
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The blue Volkswagen Microbus was untouched by the LA wildfires
The Los Angeles wildfires have killed at least 25 people as they swept through more than 40,000 acres.
Tens of thousands of residents were forced to evacuate, including one homeowner who took his multi-million car collection to a McDonald’s to try and keep it safe and another who praised his Tesla for saving his life.
Meanwhile, Volkswagen Type 2 owner Megan Krystle Weinraub was surprised to discover that her beloved bus had managed to completely avoid any damage from the fires, despite being surrounded by total devastation.
A neighbor sent Weinraub a photo and in the background, she was able to spot her Volkswagen with what looked to be zero damage.
“I freaked out,” she told Fox 11. “I was in the bathroom, and I screamed.”
Weinraub got in touch with pal Preston Martin, from whom she had bought the VW, and he was equally as shocked.
The VW bus has become an unlikely symbol of strength
Not only did the VW van survive, but it’s also become an unlikely symbol of strength and hope in the community after photos of it were shared online.
“There’s magic in that van. It makes no sense why this happened. It should have been toasted, but here we are,” 24-year-old Martin told the Associated Press.
As yet, Weinraub has not been allowed to go out to check on the condition of the bus but images appear to show it sustained little more than some soot on its windows.
“Everything around it was toasted, just destroyed. And then here’s this bright blue shiny van, sitting right there,” Martin told Fox 11.
Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Across her career she's covered a wide variety of topics, including celebrity, cryptocurrency, politics, true crime and just about everything in between.
