A surprising AP photograph of an undamaged Volkswagen van surrounded by destruction from a Los Angeles wildfire has astonished viewers.

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

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

Two days before the Palisades fire erupted, Preston Martin parked the Volkswagen van near the Getty Villa.