The morning of Jan. 7 was the last time Judith Ziehm woke up to some semblance of normalcy. Later that day she was shocked to discover that her Malibu home – which she had shared with her husband Howard until his passing last summer – was in the direct path of destruction.
The raging Palisades Fire was heading her way and before she knew it, it was time to evacuate.
Ziehm, 75, had little time to gather her belongings, and in the mayhem, she left with little more than the clothes on her back. But she escaped with her most prized possessions: her six dogs.
The rest of her things – along with her house – have been reduced to a pile of ashes and charred rubble.
“This has been so thoroughly devastating,” Ziehm told the San Fernando Valley Sun/el Sol.
For now, she’s staying at a hotel in Agoura Hills – missing her husband and mourning her losses, but grateful to be alive and relieved to still have all of her beloved dogs. She’s also planning to rebuild, confident that no matter the financial obstacles, she’ll find a way … just like last time.
Losing Everything – Again
Ziehm and her husband moved to Malibu in the early 1970s, when they purchased a house on Live Oak Meadow Road, in a semi-secluded neighborhood in the hills with a view of the Pacific Ocean.
She described it as a tranquil space, the ideal setting to indulge her passion: rescuing dogs. Tragically, the Old Topanga Fire of 1993 decimated the couple’s home of more than 20 years. Despite their heartache over the loss, they were both determined to rebuild, recalled Ziehm.
“This was our home and the whole vibe of living in that area is so soothing and relaxing – this is Chumash Indian land,” she said. “There’s a calm that comes over you just being there – there is nowhere else you can find that. When you came home, you could breathe, you could exhale.”
During the nearly four years of rebuilding, the couple and their dogs lived in a trailer on the property.
“My husband did a lot of the work himself because he was a very talented builder,” said Ziehm, noting it was also partly out of necessity, because their fire insurance only provided a limited amount of funding to help them rebuild.
They moved into their new three-bedroom house when it was finally completed in 1997.
“We built it from the ground up because our house had burned down to the ground – just like this time,” she said, noting the heart-wrenching sense of deja vu she experienced when she briefly returned to the grounds of her property days after being forced to evacuate last week.
“When I got there to see it, it was the same as last time [in 1993] – everything was gone,” she recounted. “I had beautiful trees – redwoods, sycamores, pines, palms – with beautiful foliage. Many were burned or gone, and I saw that one of my redwood trees was still smoldering.
“My pool was full of debris,” she added. “Nothing was left – it was pretty catastrophic. Everything we owned was charred, incinerated. Everything was gone, it was just gone.”
Ziehm lost film reels, slot machines, one-of-a-kind paintings, cherished photo albums and other personal memorabilia. But worst of all, she said, it felt like she lost her husband all over again.
“My husband’s remains in his urn are gone – they were in the house,” said Ziehm, the sadness evident in her trembling voice. “Now he’s forever bound to our home, to this property.”
Escaping the Approaching Inferno
When Ziehm first heard about the Palisades Fire on TV, she didn’t leave right away because she thought her home was a safe distance away from the location of the initial blaze. But as the strong winds picked up and the fire began spreading rapidly, she realized it was time to go.
“If I had stayed any longer I probably would have died,” she said. “I left about [midnight] and when I was driving through the canyon, there were tree limbs everywhere, there were rocks everywhere, and there were 200-foot flames along the ridge. It was really, really scary.”
For now, she finds some solace in visiting with loved ones who are stopping by the hotel to check on her and in the company of her dogs.
“I don’t have children of my own, so they’re like my kids,” explained Ziehm. “And they’ve been my companions through all of this.”
Looking Ahead: “I’m Going Home”
Ziehm said she will be renting a small place for her and her dogs, with a fence around the perimeter so they can play outside. But she remains intent on rebuilding and “going home.”
“As soon as I can get back on my property, I’m going to put a trailer there, just like last time, and I’m going to rebuild,” she said. “I want to be back there again because that’s still my home.”
Ziehm views rebuilding as a necessity rather than a choice, but she knows it will be a financially challenging endeavor. She anticipates her California Fair Plan insurance plan will only cover “the very bare minimum,” and admits she didn’t opt for a wrap-around insurance coverage because of the exorbitant premiums. But she’s willing to patiently see the process through.
“That’s what I have to do,” she said. “I might be 80 before it’s done being rebuilt, but so what? I’ll be 80 anyway.”
To donate to Judith Ziehm’s GoFundMe campaign, go to: www.gofundme.com/f/help-judy-rebuild-after-fire-loss.