Retro blue VW van survives deadly Los Angeles Fire, becomes symbol of hope

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The 1977 Volkswagen Type 2, nicknamed “Azul” by its current owner Megan Krystle Weinraub, remained untouched amidst the devastation. A photo of the van, taken by an Associated Press photographer, quickly went viral, spreading a message of resilience. “There is magic in that van,” Martin, 24, said. “It makes no sense why this happened. It should have been toasted, but here we are.”

Martin had purchased the van during college and lived in it to save on rent, even adding curtains sewn by his mother. He later sold it to Weinraub, 29, who designs surfboards under the Vibrant Boards brand, while Martin works on carbon fiber surfboards for Starlite.

Just days before the fire, the friends used Azul for a surf trip. Martin parked it near Weinraub’s apartment as she was still learning to drive its manual transmission. When the fire erupted, Weinraub evacuated with her dog, assuming Azul was gone. Days later, a neighbor sent her a photo showing the van intact. “I freaked out,” Weinraub said. “I screamed in the bathroom.” Martin was equally stunned and shared the news with his mother, who texted him, “I’ve never cried for a car before.”

The neighborhood remains inaccessible, but the van’s survival has already become a symbol of hope. “Everything around it was destroyed, and here’s this bright blue shiny van, sitting right there,” Martin said.

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