California Home of Peanuts Creator Wiped out by Fire

SANTA ROSA, Calif (AP)  — The home of “Peanuts” creator Charles Schulz burned to the ground in the deadly California wildfires but his widow escaped, her stepson said Thursday.

Jean Schulz, 78, evacuated before flames engulfed her hillside home Monday and is staying with a daughter, Monte Schulz said.

The Schulzes built the California split-level home in the 1970s and the Minnesota-born cartoonist lived there until his death in 2000.

“It’s the house he died in. All of their memorabilia and everything is all gone,” Monte Schulz said.

He had not heard from his stepmother and learned about the disaster from his brother, Craig Schulz, who also lost his Santa Rosa home in the fire.

“The fire came by at, like, 2 in the morning,” Monte Schulz said. “Everything’s gone.”

Fires in the Northern California wine country have killed at least 26 people since they began Sunday.

Monte Schulz said he had not visited his stepmother’s home in recent years because he lives more than 300 miles away in Santa Barbara. He wasn’t sure what might have burned.

“Obviously, stuff from my dad and their life together, all gone,” he said.