Surviving the Flames: How Precautions Saved Some Homes in Los Angeles Wildfires

More than 10,000 homes have been lost in Los Angeles, leaving behind only charred remnants of wood and metal after the rapidly spreading wildfires.

However, amidst this devastation, some houses remain intact, appearing unaffected by the flames.This occurrence has been noted in previous intense wildfires and can seem like a stroke of luck. In some cases, homes survived because the winds shifted favorably at critical moments.

More frequently, fire experts have discovered that homeowners implemented essential precautions that likely protected their properties from destruction.The primary protective measures involve modifications to both the house itself and its surrounding environment, particularly concerning the density of combustible vegetation.

Many of these precautions are already mandated by California’s building codes for areas prone to fires and include regulations for clearing nearby brush and vegetation, referred to as creating “defensible space.” In contrast, few other Western states have adopted similar regulations, even those that have experienced severe wildfires.

In Los Angeles, fire experts are surveying the surviving homes, looking for clues about what worked, in the hope of improving construction standards and helping prevent similar disasters.