"It appears that she was refueling some sort of portable heater when a couch caught fire and that set the whole house ablaze," said Lt. Rich Erickson of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department's Malibu/Lost Hills Station.
Firefighters contained the fire in about 20 minutes, but not much was left of the beach front property. Later Ricki commented that she was trying to refuel an indoor heater and accidently set the couch on fire. She was able to remove boxes of clothing and move her cars before the home was fully engulfed. The direct cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Hopefully Ricki has California Renters Insurance, which can help devoid costs of damages to a property that a person is renting.