Suzanne Somers Loses Malibu Home to Fire

Fast-moving blaze consumes actor's home, along with four other Malibu residences on Monday; Somers was not home at the time

By Sarah Hall Jan 09, 2007 10:25 PMTags

Suzanne Somers is trying to look on the bright side after losing her Malibu home to a raging fire that swept through her neighborhood Monday.

The erstwhile Three's Company star and her husband, Alan Hamel, were not at home when the fire consumed their residence and Somers' car, along with four other multimillion dollar houses in the area.

"My nature is to look at the glass half-full," Somers said in a statement. "I don't have a son or daughter in Iraq. I haven't lost a loved one. We will rebuild, and I truly believe we will learn something great from this experience."

Five other homes were damaged in the fire, which was originally reported around 5 p.m. in Malibu Bluffs State Park. By the time firefighters arrived five minutes later, high winds had already caused the flames to spread to the neighboring residential area, forcing people to evacuate.

The oceanfront stretch where the fire raged is popular with celebrities, some of whom took action as their homes were threatened by the blaze.

Onetime Dallas star Victoria Principal, who lives near Somers, told the Los Angeles Times that she offered people food, water and parking as they fled the fire.

"It started big and hot and exploded," Principal said Monday, as she hosed down her house. "The wind was swirling. It moved so very quickly."

John Cusack was also spotted trying to save both his own home and a neighbor's by spraying the buildings with water, People magazine reported. A rep for the actor said that he was "fine" in the wake of the fire.

Other famous residents of the area include Mel Gibson, Pierce Brosnan, Pamela Anderson, Barbra Streisand and Courteney Cox and David Arquette.

Fire officials did not release the names of property owners who lost homes.

In total, some 20 acres were charred by the blaze, which took more than 300 firefighters to contain. The cause of the fire was under investigation, with Malibu Mayor Ken Kearsley deeming it "suspicious."