We're now hearing from the firefighter who was inside and survived.
LAFD released a video of Inspector Jerry Kao talking about that terrifying night.
The veteran firefighter says he only had one thing on his mind: returning home to his family.
"I said out loud in the car, 'I'm not going to die in this car today.' I was going to do whatever I could to get back to my family," Kao said.
He recounts the terrifying moments as his fire vehicle was swept into the ocean by a sudden mudslide.
"It came up over onto the roadway and just slammed against the passenger side of my car with such force that it pushed me across all three lanes," he explains.
LAFD member escapes truck swept into ocean by mudslide in Malibu
LAFD member escapes truck swept into the ocean by mudslide during heavy downpours in Malibu
It happened Feb. 13 as a powerful storm slammed SoCal and drenched the burn zones.
The dangerous debris flow suddenly roaring down the hillside.
"The last view I saw was nothing but mud over the windows and the hillside, and I went rear over the ledge," Kao said.
His vehicle falling 30 feet into the surf.
"The vehicle started to lift on the driver side and I just leaned up on it. I was mentally preparing to take one last breath in case the windows burst," he said.
Luckily, the husband and father of four managed to climb out of the vehicle.
He escaped with only minor injuries.
The fire department says his training and quick thinking saved his life.
Kao says he was only focused on one thing.
"I remember just feeling very upset in that moment. Just the thought of leaving behind my kids and not being a father anymore to them and leaving my wife behind with the whole burden and everything," he said.
LAFD says Kao's story is a powerful reminder that evacuation orders save lives.