"There's Magic In That Van", VW Bus Survives Palisades Fire

Nicknamed "Azul", which is Spanish for "blue", the 1977 Type II Volkswagen Bus miraculously survived while parked on a street where all of the surrounding homes were destroyed. Upon hearing the news, Martin said, "There's magic in that van. It should have been toasted but here we are." The now-iconic van was once home to Martin for over a year while he studied mechanical engineering at UCSB and saved rent by living inside the van and fixing her up.

Martin shapes carbon fiber surfboards under his label Starlite and recently sold the van to friend and business partner, Megan Krystle Weinraub, who shapes and rides under the label Vibrant Boards. On her Instagram, Weinraub shared, "For two straight days, I was glued to the news, anxiously waiting to see if my house had burned down. It’s something I never thought I’d experience. Seeing people I know lose everything was devastating. I feel incredibly fortunate and grateful to say that both my house and my bus are still standing. When I got a picture of the blue bus, surrounded by destruction, still standing strong, it took my breath away. Everything around it was gone, but Azul was still there. In that moment, it felt like a beacon of light, a symbol of hope that even in the darkest times, there is still light shining and good things are still possible."

A scroll through the comment sections reveals many users comparing the bus to other blue items that survived the tragic Lahaina fires with the claim that "direct energy weapons can't target the color blue". Whether it was the color blue, the van's magic karma, or the protective Grateful Dead "stealy" sticker on the back, we know that Martin and Weinraub are sure glad it survived and that people are either willing to see it as a beacon of hope--or as some sinister conspiracy devised by an evil New World Order.

For anyone wishing to get involved with relief efforts for the devastating fires please check out this article.