The true story behind the VW bus that survived the Palisades fire
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.
“Get out of the house, now! There’s a massive fireball heading your way,” Pacific Palisades resident Matt Baker said of 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 told KTLA.
On the 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,” he said. “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,” she said. “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 was “magic” in that bus.
“The most surprising thing about this van going viral is how deeply it resonated with people,” the pair told KTLA in an interview. “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.”