Emails and videos of buildings abandoned next to burnt buildings in Los Angeles are being circulated among architects, builders and fire protection experts around the world.
For many homeowners like Enrique Balcazar, the sporadic carnage may seem like a coincidence. Balcazar, a real estate agent, posted a video showing only the chimneys of most homes on his block remaining after a fire broke out in the Altadena neighborhood. Balcazar stood on his neighbor’s destroyed classic Mustang to extinguish the smoldering roof, but his home was otherwise fine.
“It’s an old house and still has the old wood siding,” Balcazar said. “For me, there is no logical or scientific explanation as to why my house didn’t burn.”
Many experts say luck also plays a role. After all, the wind can turn 180 degrees in an instant, pushing the fire away from your home and toward your neighbor’s. But they also say there are many ways to make a home vulnerable to fire.
“Because there are 50 different ways a house can go down in a fire,” says Greg Faulkner of Faulkner Architects in California, who has focused on making homes less flammable for more than a decade. – A quarter of them, it’s not luck, it’s increasing probability. ”
People in the Fire Nation generally know that trees, landscaping, and wooden fences near homes are a fire hazard. Architects and contractors are going beyond that and using new materials and techniques for roofs, walls, and windows to keep buildings in good condition. Faulkner said the measure would increase the cost of a home by about 3% to 6%, and up to 10% for the most robust protection.
Many of these professionals no longer use wood siding. If used, or if still permitted, a fire-resistant barrier must be provided underneath. It is often made of gypsum, the same material used to make drywall. That way, if the wood catches fire, it will take longer for the heat to travel into your home.
But even then, you’re still putting flammable materials into the building, said Richard Schuh of Nielsen: Schuh Architects. “So that’s something we want to avoid. It’s important to use fire-resistant materials.”
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Stucco, a cement material, is a common exterior exterior for homes in Southern California and is fire resistant. Arnold Tarling, who has 40 years of experience in fire protection and building inspections in the UK, reviewed AP photos showing buildings still standing and said stucco-walled homes appeared to have survived the Los Angeles fires better. said. But he says if more buildings had a layer of gypsum underneath the stucco, it would have provided more protection from the heat.
Windows conduct so much heat that they can be a big factor in whether your home burns down. Double-glazed windows significantly slow down the heat from the burning building next door.
“The outer layer protects the inner layer until it breaks down,” Xu says. Regulations in many places require one of the two panes of glass to be toughened, which is much more heat resistant than traditional glass, he said.
Tarling pointed to an intact house on Malibu’s waterfront, surrounded by destroyed buildings. He speculated that the fact that there were no windows facing next door may have helped protect them, as radiant heat could not penetrate as easily.
Faulkner’s building includes fire shutters that can slide closed to cover the windows.
And then there’s the roof. This is a convenient place for fire embers to land.
A simple roof line can allow red-hot embers to slide off. For example, Spanish Mission is an iconic style of Los Angeles, part of what is described as “Hollywood” in films about Los Angeles, and a reminder of Mexican and Spanish history. This style does not necessarily have a simple roof line. Knee walls, common on mission-style roofs, form the corners.
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“Embers can collect in those corners, just like snow,” Faulkner said.
Many roofs in the United States are covered with asphalt. California requires the use of roofing materials (called 1-hour or Class A) that slow the transfer of heat into buildings in a growing number of areas designated as wildfire-prone areas.
However, asphalt is a petroleum product. Some building professionals prefer metals that do not burn. However, metals have the disadvantage of conducting heat. In some regions, it is becoming common to put a layer of plaster under the metal roof.
Perhaps just as important as what material is used in the roof is whether the roof provides an entry route for fire. Here, as with many trade-offs, one effort to achieve good things collides with another. Over the years, contractors have been more careful about using vents in many roofs and under the eaves to circulate air and prevent moisture from building up in the attic.
But in the case of a strong fire, Xu says, “If you’re on the side where the wind is putting pressure on the house, it’s going to blow the flames into the house like a blowtorch, and the fire will come in through the vents.” Say.
Experts said a vacuum could be created on the other side of the house, potentially sucking the fire in.
Real estate developer Steve Soboroff and the city of Los Angeles announced a 90-day rebuilding plan after the Palisades fire destroyed more than 3,000 homes and buildings. Amber Frias reports on NBCLA News on January 18, 2025 at 6 p.m.
But roof ventilation systems can’t be easily abolished because they cause moisture problems, says Cesar Martín Gómez, an architect at the University of Navarra in Spain who has worked in architectural services for 25 years. .
Faulkner said some buildings eliminate the need for roof structure ventilation by enclosing spaces. Schuh uses covers on roof vents that can actually fight fires by closing the mesh.
Martin Gomez pointed out that in some parts of Australia, new homes are required to have water tanks installed. “If households had the ability to protect themselves, fires wouldn’t spread as quickly,” he said.
And some homes in the United States now have sprinkler systems installed on the outside as well as inside the home. Xu said water mixed with soapy water will be sprayed onto the building’s surface.
“You’re adding another layer of protection to your building, and you don’t know if your insurance company will cover it, so this is more of a priority than ever,” he said. Ta.
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