Malibu artist loses home in Palisades Fire while at art show in Arizona

CAVE CREEK, AZ (AZFamily) — Malibu artist Myra Burg has a positive perspective, given the traumatic loss of her home and belongings in the Palisades Fire.

She is just one of the estimated thousands of people who lost their homes in the California wildfires that have been blazing across Los Angeles County.

Burg glanced out her window and noticed the ocean wasn’t its normal color. She walked outside and saw a cloud of smoke heading in her direction.

“We were in exact line for the fire,” Burg said.

Her area was placed on “Ready” status, one she was all too familiar with from the Franklin Fire, which burned over 4,000 acres near Malibu at the beginning of December.

RELATED: Full coverage of the wildfires in California

Burg packed her van with the essentials, some of her favorite clothing pieces and as much of her artwork as possible. She also made sure to take her beloved cat with her.

The change from “Ready” to “Go” was instantaneous. Burg said at 7:30 p.m., she was eating dinner when her brother called her to alert her that her status had been upgraded to Go. As soon as she walked outside, she saw flames.

She and her partner Charlie decided to head toward Arizona since Burg has an art show in Cave Creek this weekend.

The next day, she received a heartbreaking video from her neighbor. The home she had designed and lived in since 2001 was gone.

“I’ve lost every family heirloom. I’ve lost art pieces I’ve collected for the past 30 years,” she said. “But on the other hand, I’ve gained the ability to rebuild.”

Burg said that while thinking about all she’s lost is hard, she wants to keep a positive attitude and move forward.

Her art is one way she can do that.

“When you’re thinking about something you want to enjoy, do it now. Because time and enjoyment are irreplaceable,” she said. “Enjoy those favorite clothes now. Buy the art piece you want now. Do the things you want [to do] now.”

Burg hasn’t returned to her house in California yet, but she knows that all the emotions will flood back when she does.

“I’m going to walk in there and find some small thing and probably dissolve into tears. It’s not going to be easy,” she said.

If you want to learn more about Burg’s artwork or help her rebuild her home and studio, click/tap here.

Burg and other artists will be selling their pieces at the Cave Creek Fine Art & Wine Festival on Jan. 10-12.

See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.

Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.