Califumigation: Flea loses home in wildfire

Red Hot Chili Pepper bass player Flea lost his $4.8m home recently in the wildfire that swept across Malibu.

The house, described by estate agents as a ‘botanical paradise’, was one of 49 that were “burnt to a crisp” by the recent disaster in California that forced the evacuation of more than 10,000 people living and working in the region.

45-year-old Flea - real name Michael Balzary - was not at home at the time the fire reached it, as he had recently moved leaving the now-destroyed residence on the market.

70mph winds pushed the blaze that left 517,000 acres of cinder, but now the fires look to be under control.