Amid the devastation caused by the Los Angeles wildfires, a striking image has caught everyone’s attention: a bright blue vintage volkswagen The van, named Azul, stands untouched among the ruins of burnt-out homes in Malibu, California.

This 1977 Van Megan belongs to Crystal Weinraub, a surf and skateboard designer who makes boards under her own brand, Vibrant Boards. Known for her creative talents and love of the ocean, Weinraub recently purchased the van from her friend and business partner, Preston Martin, who lived in it for a year while designing boards for his brand, Starlight. Affectionately called Azul, Spanish for “blue,” this van is as iconic as the ocean waves it frequents.

Weinraub shared her stressful experience during the wildfire, she was glued to the news for two days, worried her home might be destroyed. When she finally saw her photo of Van Azul, untouched amid the devastation, she was overwhelmed with emotion. “This took my breath away,” she wrote on Instagram. “Everything around it was gone, but Azul was still there. In that moment, it felt like a ray of light, a symbol of hope that even in the darkest times, the light still shines and good things are still possible.

The fire quickly spread across Malibu, destroying homes and displacing families. For Weinraub, finding both his home and his van safe seems almost unbelievable, given the devastation all around them.

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