Here's what one street in Malibu looks like after a wildfire ripped through

Nicole Hayden Colin Atagi Amy DiPierro
Palm Springs Desert Sun
The burned out remains of a home on Cuthbert Road in Malibu. The neighborhood was over run by the Woosley Fire which has consumed over 70,000 acres as of 11/10/2018.

Tucked back in a winding Malibu hillside is a heavily wooded area dotted with grandiose homes. It's not easy to get in or out, and the neighborhood is as lush with fire fuel as it is with brick driveways and iron gates. 

In the 30100 block of Harvester Road, the few remaining homes stand out as visible miracles in a place where rubble is now the rule. 

The Los Angeles County Office of the Assessor estimates home values in this area are anywhere from half a million dollars to $2.5 million, though real estate listing sites such as Zillow show the homes' worth as much as $3.2 million. 

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A homeowner digging through the ashy white remains of his $3 million home on Sunday said his property now has no monetary value. He was searching for what he calls the real value — photos, jewelry, anything that would represent a life long lived near the ocean. 

His voice is twisted with a mixture of relief, shock and desperation as he yells that he has found something: one of his wife's gold necklaces, melted, but still recognizable, a tangible remnant of the past. 

He stands for a moment, arches his back and looks around. Further up the hillside, to his left and right, and across the street, hardly anything is left as ash dances through the air and small fires crackle nearby.

The burned out remains of an pickup truck at near Harvester Road in Malibu. The neighborhood was over run by the Woosley Fire which has consumed over 70,000 acres as of 11/10/2018.

The Woolsey Fire has scorched 83,275 acres in Ventura and Los Angeles counties since Wednesday afternoon. As of Sunday evening, firefighters contained 10 percent of its perimeter with full containment expected Thursday.

The fire began in the Thousand Oaks area before spreading southeast toward Malibu; about 200,000 people have been forced to evacuate.

Two fatalities have been confirmed and 177 structures have been destroyed with thousands more threatened. During a press briefing Sunday morning, authorities urged people to evacuate and not return until further notice.

"When we ask you to leave, please leave," said Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen. "The rate of spread is exponentially more than it used to be."

On Sunday, the fire burned through a region home to bold-face names, the upper class and Hollywood's elite. Mark Hamill, Shannen Doherty, Robin Thicke and Kim Kardashian West are on the long list of celebrities impacted by the blaze.

Malibu has been "hit very, very hard," Mayor Lou LaMonte said during the briefing.

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While the 30100 block of Harvester Road isn't the stomping ground of A-listers, the homes here are — in many cases, were — stately and magnificent, surrounded by steep, rolling hills and thick trees, with the ocean air seeping through the dense foliage. 

Sitting near the 30100 block of Harvest Road was a 1970s home, a modern mecca of white walls and large, airy windows. The three-bedroom, two-bathroom ranch was last sold for $1.65 million in 2017, but Zillow estimates its current worth near $2.25 million.

It is now hard to tell where one property line starts and another begins. A brick chimney still stands, with metal bar stools nearby. A grill sits on the back patio, which was laid with stone that now crumbles under footfall, weak from the heat. An antique Ford sits on a hill, now a skeleton, and a neighbor's deck is engulfed in flames, slowly buckling under the pressure. 

The remains of a home on Harvester Road in Malibu. The neighborhood was over run by the Woosley Fire which has consumed over 70,000 acres as of 11/10/2018.

Next door, a 2,680-square-foot home hints at what was once a beautiful estate. The three-bedroom, three-bathroom home was built in 1978. The last assessed value hit just under half a million dollars, but Zillow estimates its market value at nearly $3 million.

The long, winding driveway leads to more ash. Another chimney stands alone. But the perimeter of the property still shows promise. To the side of what was the house, clay steps wind up to multiple patios and hidden enclaves, an empty bottle of chardonnay lays nearby. A path to the right leads to a small, enchanting garden where tomatoes still grow. To the left is a pool lined with Spanish tiles painted blue, yellow and ivory. A bottle of sunscreen sits forgotten by a chair, and a blue ball for a dog hides under a bush. On the patio sits an outdoor grill, stove and fireplace, all built within a clay framework. More than two dozen large flower pots are haphazardly knocked over, but still glisten in deep blues and reds. 

The burned out remains of a home on Cuthbert Road in Malibu. The neighborhood was over run by the Woosley Fire which has consumed over 70,000 acres as of 11/10/2018.

On the corner of Harvest and Cuthbert roads is a home still surrounded by twisting iron gates with kissing seahorses that welcome visitors. The multi-level four-bedroom, four-bathroom was once an impressive structure with a quaint, ocean cottage design. The 1970s home was last assessed at $316,044 but Zillow estimates its market value at $3.2 million. 

What remains is shocking. 

A large lantern that hung over the front door sits where steps would have led up to the entrance. The metal is white from the heat and shattered glass encircles it. Water pipes jut out of unidentifiable debris. Still, almost inconceivably, a small water fountain in the front yard is filled with water as a single bird swoops in to take a sip. 

In the midst of the ruin near the 30100 block of Harvester Road, one home is curiously untouched. A weight room, not attached to the house, and the garage are mostly gone. A burned chair sits in front of a burned motorcycle in the garage, as if someone was tinkering away before the flames. Scorch marks on the ground show that flames came within feet of the home, at times reaching the house. Yet it still stands, two wood doors waiting for the homeowners to swing through. 

A weight room in the backyard of a home on Harvester Road was completely destroyed but the home was spared. The neighborhood was over run by the Woosley Fire which has consumed over 70,000 acres as of 11/10/2018.

The 1959 home was last assessed at $2.4 million and is estimated to now be worth $3.2 million. The four bedrooms and open layout of the house have mountain views through the floor-to-ceiling doors and windows.

A neighbor called the home's survival a miracle.  

The Woolsey Fire was preceded by the Hill Fire, which burned 4,531 acres in the Thousand Oaks area since Wednesday and two deaths have been reported. Seventy percent of the perimeter has been contained and full containment also is expected Thursday.

Meanwhile, in Northern California, 23 people have died in Butte County's Camp Fire. According to Cal Fire, 109,000 acres have burned since Thursday and 25 percent of the perimeter has been contained.

More than 6,400 homes have been destroyed and 15,000 more structures are threatened.

Desert Sun reporter Nicole Hayden covers the cities of La Quinta, Indian Wells, Rancho Mirage and Palm Desert. She can be reached at Nicole.Hayden@desertsun.com or (760) 778-4623. Follow her on Twitter @Nicole_A_Hayden.

The burned out remains of a home onHarvester Road in Malibu. The neighborhood was over run by the Woosley Fire which has consumed over 70,000 acres as of 11/10/2018.