The tales of individuals who lost their lives in the fires of Los Angeles

Randall “Randy” Miod, 55, died in the place he loved most: his home.

That’s according to his mother, Carol Smith, who said Miod lived in the Malibu beach house for decades.

Detectives found human remains in Miod’s home, Smith said, telling CNN all his roommates have been accounted for.

“(His home) was his prized possession. That’s the one and only house he ever owned,” Smith said.

“He just felt so blessed to be able to live in Malibu. That was his dream come true because he’d been surfing since he was a teenager.”

About 30 years ago, Miod rented a studio apartment attached to the house. After 13 years, the owner offered to sell the house for a discounted price – an opportunity Miod jumped on.

From there, the house on Pacific Coast Highway became locally known as “the Crab Shack”, Smith said. Miod had an open-door policy in which friends were constantly coming and going from the red barn-style home built in 1924, she said.

“He was just kind of a magnet for people. And people just loved him and he loved people. He was a very kind person,” Smith said.

“There was always a party, wherever Randy went, there was a party.”

Miod was determined to protect his beloved house.

When they talked on the phone on Tuesday, he told Smith he had a garden hose ready to go. She believed he didn’t know how big the flames were going to get.

“He’d been through so many of these fires and made it through unscathed. I think he thought he could do it again,” Smith said.

“Now that I’m realising how many memories he had in that home, I can understand why he didn’t want to leave.”

Miod, who lived in California all his life, spent most of the last few decades managing restaurants and surfing.

“He used to cut class in high school to go surfing. I can remember one time I had to hide his surfboard,” Smith laughed.

“I said, ‘You are supposed to be in the school. You’re not supposed to be at the beach’.”

She said the last year was a tough one for Miod, as he lost his restaurant job, broke a finger and had to say goodbye to his cat of many years. However, Smith said he always kept a positive outlook on life and searched for the silver lining despite the hardship. He even recently picked up a new kitten.

“He was unique … I’ve never known another one like him,” Smith said.