The image quickly became a "beacon of hope" for some in the wake of Los Angeles' deadly January 2025 wildfires.

The two friends who own the Volkswagen van went surfing the Sunday before the Palisades Fire erupted and then parked the van in a neighborhood that was later destroyed. They were sure it was a goner.

When the Palisades fire tore through a Malibu neighborhood, reducing homes and cars to rubble, Preston Martin assumed the retro blue Volkswagen van he once lived in during college was lost. But

Conspiracy theorists claim blue objects that make it through infernos, like this Volkswagen, are evidence of something sinister.

With the raging wildfires in Southern California, not only homes and businesses but also cars have been burning to the ground. That’s why the sight of a bright blue classic Volkswagen Microbus parked in the middle of a Malibu neighborhood that was completely destroyed has shocked and amazed so many,