Owner of Lahaina 'miracle house' that
was only one spared by devastating Maui
wildfire shares secrets of how the $4M
property survived

No miracle, just physics, as usual. I saw a photo of home that is very similar to that photo, a white walled, red roofed house, intact and surrounded by smoking ruins, on a hillside in California, Oakland, IIRC. In the California home, red tile roof...will not burn. In the Lahaina case, red metal roof, will not burn. White exterior reflects heat, and they said that the recently trimmed back vegetation around the home. The California home was also white stucco, probably over concrete block, much more resistant to radiant heating than even white wood. It isn't clear what the Lahaina walls are made of, but seems likely also stucco. We have a home in Colorado that was spared in a wildfire about five years ago. The asphalt shingle roof will be replaced with a metal roof this fall or next summer. That wildfire was stopped only 200 yards from our vacation home. We have the vegetation trimmed, always have, but the roof, with flying large embers as the home owner says, THAT's going to light any asphalt roof shingles. A friend's home burned about 20 years ago, and the cedar shake roof was a major contributor to a lightning caused fire. The local HOA mandated only cedar shakes. Upon rebuilding he went to the HOA and told them that he was going to use fireproof lightweight foamed concrete tiles, and they could sue him if they wanted but they'd lose in court. The HOA never sued and has changed their requirement to make your roof from one of the finest kindling materials that know of dry, thin pieces of red cedar wood. Several homes with metal roofs and no close vegetation survived the Colorado fire near us, but nearly 200 burned, but fortunately, evacuation prevented any deaths.

The president’s visit will provide assurance and hope that we all will die and our government does not give a dm.

There was something else. A wealthy friend’s house was the only one on their block that survived a huge Napa Valley fire some years ago. When they ased fire aptain why, he replied that they triage and try to fus their efforts on structures cthat appear most likely to survive.. The house in the article had an asphalt roof replaced with the red metal roof. The typical red tile roof can be problematic. Burning embers can be forced by wind into the ends of the tiles and the house is ignited. Not uncommon.

Years ago a large part of Malibu, California burned down, except for one house in the middle of completely destroyed homes. The house was stucco, the roof was clay tiles, but most importantly, the man stayed home and had an electric generator and a pump to pump water out of his swimming pool, and used a garden hose to keep his home wet.

I recall pagodas buildings withstanding many disasters. Old architecture is the best & safest!

The only one? Photos in the wake of the fire showed a Catholic Church intact, surrounded by burned trees, ground, and structures. Only some minor roof damage. DM often has animated and flashing advertisements in quantities that bog down my browser and bother my hippocampus, so I block ads there, for which they block my browser. So I couldn't view the page to see if we're referring to the same "house"...

Good point, #3. That's why you see clay barrel roof tiles with heavy grout "chinking" in the open spaces between each row. It's a common feature of the Santa Barbara Spanish Revival style.

A friend evavuated his family and stayed behind to hose down his house during the deadly Bel Air fire yesrs ago. Saved his house.

The stucco homes I am familiar with in California are frame houses. Years ago the Alpine fire in eastern San Diego reduced other friends’ huge, magnificent concrete block ranch home to rubble as the intense heat caused the mortar to disintegrate.

Knew a guy who bought a mall hokme on a few acres in Colorado for his retirement. He was clearing the vegetation from the property when his neighbors called the police who made him stop. Seems he was destroying the natural beauty of the area. He was so often at odds with the neighbors he decided he did not want to retire there and sold. A few years after the entire neighborhood was destroyed by fire

#6, use the Brave browser. I have for since it was released. Brave shields is the only thing I have enabled.

If the destroyed homes are rebuilt in a fire resistant manner like this one, it will probably cost a fortune. I'm guessing most of the homes will never be rebuilt.

My Brother's home is in Northern California. Up in the mountains. Although I don't know what kind of roof he has, he has installed a sprinkler system on it. If he loses electricity, common up there, he has a backup generator to run the water. He also makes it a priority to clear under brush and trees close to the house. I think he will survive a fire.

Re #13, I have purchase the rainbird sprinkler heads and plan to install a pair, one on each end roof peak of our small home. Teir patterns would overlap, based on a test that I did with a temporary sprinkler mount and plumbing system. Only solar and battery power, and we are most often 10+ hours away, so it may not be practical to use it, certainly can't do it remotely. Until 2019 we had only a cistern, which was another problem, limited water supply. Now we have a well, but to use it, need to run the aux generator. Many homes have been saved in Canada by roof sprinkler systems feeding from a gasoline power pump out on a dock extending out in a large lake. Often these remote homes have only access via floatplane, so there is plenty of water nearby. I found this system when researching possible ways to improve fire resistance after our big fire. Another thing is fire resistant overhang panels.

#13 - That is what TK has installed on our homestead. The system is connected directly to our well; 126 feet deep, water at 26 feet, pumps at 8 gallons a minute, with a 2500 gallon water tank as back up. Two sprinklers on the roof of the house. One for the front redwood deck. One that covers the workshop and wood shed, one for the solar battery shed, and one for the propane shelter - where we will place the extra gasoline and diesel cans if we have to evacuate. All the trees near the house are limbed-up at least 15 feet, and the natural grasses are mowed out to 150 feet. #4 - TK was LAPD back during that Malibu fire, and was assigned that neighborhood to patrol against looters. He said he came upon the only house standing among the ruins. The owner was outside, so he naturally stopped to talk to him. It was that conversation which inspired his roof sprinkler system he installed as soon as we moved into the house. TK has been working with the local fire chief and the last two years our subdivision has been the location for Cal-Fire exercises for county local departments prior to fire season. It has heightened fire prevention awareness among our neighbors. Due to TK's diligence, we now have three escape routes other than our main road, so that can remain open for the fire trucks. I am a blessed woman.

Just common sense. We lived in MT for 33 yrs and replacing a shingle roof every 7 yrs due to hail got old, so we did metal. Aside from decreasing our home owners insurance, it also cools off faster than an asphalt shingle roof in the summer.