Firebreaks won’t help in a windstorm, with firefighters limited to life safety concerns. A friend texted this photo from their condo a couple hours after the start of the #palisadesfire – air defense pissing in the wind and embers spotting 1-2 miles in advance.

A treat to chat with the legendary @MattRisinger about high performance fire resilient homes during a break between storms in Altadena. Relieved to get this early season rain this year!

Glass works great - until it doesn’t. Outside corner cracked by radiant heat. Inside corner cracked by collected embers. The last house standing on this cul de sac.

Today’s post from an Allianz board member: “We are fast approaching temperature levels – 1.5C, 2C, 3C – where insurers will no longer be able to offer coverage for many of these risks,” he said. “The math breaks down: the premiums required exceed what people or companies can

Corner lot houses with increased setbacks were much less likely to burn in the #PalisadesFire. This house was protected by a Zone 0 clearance, masonry fences, and a tall, well watered hedge. The lack of air sealing will make reoccupation difficult and expensive.

Concrete wall and fence bases offered significant protection against ember attack. The #IBHS "wildfire prepared home" requires a 6" noncombustible base at all exterior walls and decks.

Windows were a weak link in #PalisadesFire. Simple stucco walls (fire rated) proved remarkably resilient but even tempered glass fails with extended flame exposure. Increased setbacks helped these homes survive. #IBHS further recommends fire rated windows or shutters in these

IBHS delivers a post fire field report confirming my own on the ground observations. Almost no homes survived downwind of an engulfed two story home. Increased setbacks much be a rebuild consideration.

IBHS's 2023 model code includes an "optimum tier designed for use in the most extreme wildfire prone areas and/or environments with dense residential construction near high density wildland fuels" i.e. the Palisades and Altadena. 1-hr fire rated non-combustible walls/eaves,

Two story wood homes are firebombs and almost no neighboring homes survived this. With 30mph+ winds one home after another will ignite - like matches in a row. The Palisades will remain at grave risk of future conflagration without further measures beyond the WUI code.

This 1940's bungalow survived the eye of the Palisades fire conflagration. Soot from direct flame can be seen on the windward side. Wind driven embers collecting at the base of walls were a common source of ignition. Here the flames were resisted by a thick brick veneer

No words really - just a horror show. Some of the design choices we made here helped. But we were also very lucky.