Foreign Investor Buying Up Massive Swaths of Fire-Ravaged Malibu originally appeared on L.A. Mag.
Trees burned by the Pacific Palisades fire along the Pacific Coast Highway, part of nearly 36 miles of acreage ruined by the wind-fueled wildfire as the ATF continues to probe the causeMichele McPhee
In the wake of the devastating wildfires that raced down the Malibu coastline, a mystery foreign investor has snatched up a large swath of burn-scarred oceanfront property, according to a startling new report by Realtor.com.
The investor is using the Weston James Group to anonymously buy stretches of fire-ravaged property, according to the story. So far, the investor had purchased nine large lots, plunking down $65 million for the chance to rebuild oceanfront mansions like the ones devoured by the Palisades Fire in January, a blaze that also killed a dozen people, among the victims were three residents of Malibu.
The monstrous blaze began in the Santa Monica Mountains, and by the evening of Jan. 7, it was a molten hurricane that tore down the chaparral-covered canyons from the Palisades and hopped the Pacific Coast Highway toward the sea. When it was finally defeated, the fire had devoured 340 waterfront homes in Malibu and another 397 structures nestled closer to land.
Oceanfront property in Malibu is being purchased by a mystery foreign investor, according to Realtor.comMichele McPhee
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms – which is the lead investigative agency leading the probe into what sparked the wind-fueled inferno – has not yet determined a cause, according to CalFire. A spokesperson for the agency did not return emails or phone calls from Los Angeles about the status of the ATF’s investigation.
Sign in front of Malibu waterfront home, one of the few left largely unscathed by June’s deadly wildfire Michele McPhee
Malibu Mayor Marianne Riggins, who was appointed to the position in late April, told Los Angeles in June that “it would be nice to find out where the source was.” In the meantime, the mayor says, the city is committed to helping 13,000 displaced residents rebuild.
But the process is arduous and costly, especially along the Pacific Ocean, according to the city’s recovery site Malibu Rebuilds. The city estimates permit approvals can take 12 to 24 months, and coastal construction has more complicated restrictions than inland projects.
So far, only 41 permits to rebuild have been approved in the entire city, according to Malibu Rebuilds. Not a single certificate of occupancy has been approved. On February 13, 2025, Governor Newsom issued Executive Order N-20-25, which suspended requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act and California Coastal Act for Palisades Fire rebuilds and related issues, which has not helped hasten rebuilds.
This story was originally reported by L.A. Mag on Aug 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
