'A Very Gentle Soul': 22-Year-Old Malibu Fire Victim Identified

MALIBU, CA — The victim of the Jan. 17 Malibu Hills house fire has been identified, the LA County Coroner's Department earlier this week.

The victim was named as 22-year-old Grant Schneider, as reported in The Malibu Times. Schneider was a student at San Diego Mesa College who turned 22 last month and wanted to start his own clothing line, according to a GoFundMe page organized by his uncle Joel Taylor.

"He was a calming presence that pulled us together as a family," according to the page, which is asking for $100,000 to cover funeral, cemetery, and medical expenses. "He was a very gentle soul, a peace maker, always there for others, affectionate, compassionate."

Schneider was also reportedly a chef and animal lover who also prized "the ocean, making beats, skateboarding, making skateboard videos, going to concerts, creating music playlists, going on outdoor adventures, the fashion industry, working out, volunteering to improve the environment and botanical gardens."

Schneider was staying at a short-term rental on the 2100 block of Rambla Pacifico Street on Jan. 17 to attend a memorial service with his girlfriend. According to Taylor, there were no fire alarms to wake him up when the fire broke out around 3 a.m.

"By the time Grant's girlfriend and her mother woke up, the flames had already climbed up the walls. Grant was not able to escape," Taylor wrote.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department has not yet responded to Patch's requests to confirm this account.

The blaze began as a house fire, but spread to surrounding brush and scorched nearly four acres, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The flames moved downhill and threatened nearby structures, and over 200 firefighters were called to prevent the fire from spreading to other homes, according to Dispatcher Nicole Larios. The exact cause remains under investigation.

NIGHT BRUSH FIRE 1/17/21 COPT22 Firehawk Paramedic helicopter uses night vision technology to make one of several water drops on the #PacificoFire in Malibu, CA. ( @LHSLASD) with @LACoFD @CityMalibu pic.twitter.com/0ZAWANAbFy
— LACoFireAirOps (@LACoFireAirOps) January 17, 2021

The fire was 100 percent contained by 5:49, but it had already destroyed a home and a life.

"His life was stolen far too soon. We are all so heartbroken. He will be greatly missed every day until we meet again in Heaven," Taylor wrote.

— Patch staffer Michael Wittner and City News Service contributed to this report.

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Related coverage:

1 Dead, 2 Injured in 4-Acre Malibu Fire