Why THESE Homes SURVIVED The LA Fires

Reports have started to appear showing how some LA Residents saved their homes in the wildfires. As if by some miracle, some homes survived, while all others burned. And why it probably was a miracle, I wanted to see what sort of measures people took and what we can learn from it. Our Thoughts and prayers are with you LA, I can't think about much else right now.

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Chapters
0:00 - Introduction
1:00 - Materials and Safe Spaces
11:00 - Pool Pumps Are a Must
14:30 - Whole Home Fire Systems

what we'll cover
two bit da vinci,building techniques for wildfires,how to save your home in a fire,How Owners SAVED Their Homes in the LA Fires,how some homes survived the fire,tips to make your home fire resistant,how to make a home safer for wildfires,building for fire safety,how some people in la saved their homes,why did some homes in la not burn,how to prepare your home for wildfires,homes that survived the la fires,why did some homes survive the fires, Secrets Ways Owners SAVED Their Homes in the LA Fires, Why THESE Homes SURVIVED The LA Fires

[Storx-USMC-]

I lived in the Black Forest area of Colorado Springs in 2013 when i was stationed there. Our entire neighborhood was taken by the fire that year and our house was one of the only ones that survived in our entire community and between me and my one neighbor we were able to safely defend off the fire from the closest 4 houses to us. I had a shallow well installed for irrigation, because it was just costing way to much to use public water for irrigation. Well that shallow well came in handy when that fire broke out. I turned on the sprinklers around the clock for the entire time the fire was going and the well had enough pressure left that we used pressure washers to blast the stuff that caught fire off the ground and buildings. It was surprisingly more beneficial using the pressure washer over regular hoses, because if something caught fire instead of just drenching it with lots of water in hopes of it going out, we were able to put it out by breaking up the base of the fire with the pressure using only the 2.0GPM the pressure washer was putting out. That well came in clutch for us and after that fire both of my neighbors which we were able to defend the fire off of, they had wells drilled on their property purely as a precaution in the future for something similar to happen. Also when our neighbors returned to their houses finding them with minor damage, they thanked us so much because they were expecting the worse. Then when the insurance company we had came through afterwards and found out about us defending their houses, they informed the company and their insurance company gave me and my neighbor both a nice check in the mail for "emergency mitigation service".

[JackosCAD]

BEWARE. In Australia a few Councils mandated roof watering systems. Problem was the PVC water lines melted and proved ineffective in a firestorm. The copper piping is for a reason.

[tedapke]

I think the best information you shared was the importance of thinking about the problem BEFORE it is too late.

[MatthewHarrold]

I'm in Tasmania, Hobart to be precise. This is where all those Eucalypt trees came from. We had to build to BAL40 to get a building permit. That is a Bushfire Attack Level of 40 minutes ... it means our house can sustain 40 minutes of ember and flame attack before failing. Walls are concrete sheets (Hardie boards), there is a single gutter, low profile window eaves, so many other features. These standards limited our options for materials, roof pitch, fire breaks, etc. All worth it. $0.02

[ChuckYoung-lg]

When a house burns, all the faucets go with it. That's why you see the remains of houses with water pouring out of them. I would bet that the lack of water pressure was more causally related to this than to people using garden hoses to defend their homes.

[k]

With the house in the opening, note the broken window on the side. The owner said they lost the outer tempered glass pane when the neighbor's car caught fire, but the inner tempered glass panel held. His belief is that is if the inner pane had failed he'd have lost the house.

[benetlilacs]

Hi Ricky. I am so glad you did this. My house burned in the 2017 Tubbs fire. Watching the coverage of the LA fires has been so frustrating because the emphasis has been on all the wrong stuff. If the houses cannot burn, all of the other problems are massively reduced. For instance, most of the heat and embers are coming from the burning houses. If the houses cannot burn you do not need water to put them out; the firemen do not have to waste time on trying to save the houses; if people are stuck in their homes, they will probably be OK, etc. Unlike you, I do not need to worry about how to retrofit, because everything is gone.
For me, the hardest part of building a completely non-combustible house is battling with the county building department to get them to let me do it. We need to do research to improve building methodologies and change the codes to allow them. The time to do that is between fires, not right after a big fire when everybody needs to rebuild. Changing the codes would take a very long time to have a large effect, because you would end up with just one house here or there that is fireproof; but when a whole neighborhood burns down, rebuilding in a fireproof manner will save the entire neighborhood the next a wildfire sweeps through.
I have much more to say about this, but that is enough for now.

[ForTheBirbs]

Well done video! I'm  medically retired from an Australian govt fire research lab, and 40+ years as a volunteer fire-fighter. My heart goes out to everyone who's lost family members and homes.

So many good points in your video. The metal fences act as a radiant heat shield and ember catcher. Also note that the example house had the gas meter tucked into the wall. Many homes were lost here due to plastic gas lines melting and blow-torching the structures. It can be useful to have a coupling on the pool suction that's compatible with the fire service fittings, like Stortz.

We have a system where properties that have pools or dams have a metal Static Water Source SWS sign at the entry to their driveway.

We have an  Australian Standard for the Construction of Buildings in Bushfire Prone Areas AS 3959:2018.

 This standard outlines the requirements for building in areas that are prone to bushfires.

Purpose:

To protect the building and its occupants from bushfires

To reduce the damage caused by bushfires.

Requirements:

Use non-combustible materials, such as brick veneer or concrete.

Seal wall and roof joints to prevent embers from entering.

Install shutters or toughened glass for windows.

Use fire-resistant timber for door frames.

Use metal for external trimmings, such as vents, guttering, and downpipes.

Ensure adequate separation from bushland.

Ensure windows and doors are properly protected.

Ensure the property is accessible for emergency vehicles.

Ensure there is a water supply for firefighting.

Bushfire Attack Levels (BAL):

AS 3959 uses two methods to determine the potential intensity of a bushfire attack on a building.

How is a Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) calculated? 

Fire Danger Index (FDI): Determine the FDI for the area.

Vegetation: Determine the types of vegetation in the area.

Distance: Determine how far away the vegetation is from the building.

Slope: Determine the slope of the land where the vegetation is located.

BAL: Calculate the BAL for the area.

What does a BAL rating mean?

BAL Flame Zone

A Flame Zone, which means the area is a direct threat to buildings and people.

Higher BAL

A higher BAL means the area is at a higher risk of bushfire, so more protection is required.

In New South Wales, you can enter your address on the New South Wales Government website to find your land's BAL rating. It is mapped for all bushfire prone areas.

A document is available on the NSW Rural Fire Service  website called

Planning for Bush Fire Protection.

It would be a good information source for the US also.

One additional comment regards active protection with sprinklers on rooftops. Don't use the typical garden sprinklers, as the water just blows away. Use a drencher system along the rooftop of metal pipe. This can be fed from a pump from a pool or non combustible water tank. Electric pool pumps are fine if fed from a generator or battery storage. The PVC pipes need to be shielded if radiant heat can melt them. Gas powered pumps are fine, but testing gets forgotten. This is only skimming over the details....

[blue_beephang-glider]

I'm from Canberra Australia and was a postman when we in what would be a small town in the US lost 500 plus houses.
I spoke to many people who defended their homes. People think a bush fire is a wall of flame coming for you, the embers you showed is the reality. Many saved their homes with a wet mop!!! Our house was 400 meters from the fire then and in 2020 the fire was close again. I have a metal water tank (Plastic melts and empties) a pump and sprinklers are my next job.
I have also defended rural homes with no water just shovels again, just stop the embers 😎👍

[borin]

I live in Europe and I am an architect. We have very strict building codes regarding fire safety. I can’t imagine that in a region with extreme fire risk, only a few property owners have taken measures to protect themselves against fires on their own. I feel for everyone who has lost their homes, but I just can’t understand it. Why?

[davemallock]

One thing I have noticed, I haven't seen anyone suggest automatic shut off for natural gas or water. That way when a fire comes around in the area in the house does end up burning down there isn't propane, natural gas or water leaks after the building is burned down. I think with all the wildfires out in California that at least a few of these implements should be mandatory.

[Carl_in_AZ]

During a monsoon, my pool and backyard overflowed after I lost electricity, and water came close to coming into my house. I connected my backwash hose to a 1/3 hp sump that I threw in the pool. I powered it off my EcoFlow. I could have run it for over six hours. This same approach could have been used for a fire.

[PlayerLineman]

Thank you for posting this video. This is information that has been around for YEARS!! It is POSSIBLE to build fire resistant structures and communities. WHY do affluent, educated people build homes in fire-risk areas and DO NOT bother to invest a tiny part of the build budget in fire suppression?. It has been possible to build beautiful, affordable, eco-friendly structures that are also fire-resistant for decades. Why aren’t our buildings officials making THIS a BUILDING PERMIT REQUIREMENT?

[skywave]

Also remember to seal off vents that allow cinders to encroach. Especially if located at base of the house. There is much code that needs catching up in regard to fire resisting a home.

[wunderfuel]

It's amazing how this( wildfire mitigation) is now a major topic of discussion. Four or five years of catastrophic fires have finally got this topic to near the top of the list. Thank you for presenting this information to homeowners, and laying out how little is needed to potentially make a world of difference in saving the one major investment in our lives. The thing I'd like to see more of is fire retardent as used by the fire-bomber crews to be made available to towns or housing developments for ground-based application at WUI locations around neighborhoods, and then making this and the other fire-retardent liquid available to the public, for last-ditch efforts around their homes. Right now, it looks like only specialists have this material available. It should be made available for use by anyone wishing to save their home...

[SchioAlves]

About going all in on concrete: if everybody starts putting standard concrete around their houses, it will make the region hotter and dryer because of the waterproofing of the soil, check first for permeable concrete.

[craigsowers]

A few observations and suggestions for you. I’ve lived lots of places around the World and one was near the Port city of Rafina, Greece near Athens. Small village called Mati was hit by Wildfires back in 2018. High winds like in SoCal turned it into a blow torch and within minutes killed 76 ... over 50 found huddled together and hugging in one Forested area ... others fled into the sea but the smoke so bad they died of smoke inhalation. Like SoCal, the vegetation wasn't properly cleaned up (lots of ground brush and sadly, still no “Clean Up” like in SoCal) and "Coniferous" trees (Pine sap makes Turpentine and highly flammable). A close friend that was lucky to escape that Wildfire installed (DIY) spritzers all along the eaves of his house … houses are concrete/stone but the Eaves are still Wood so prone to catching fire.

Same issue where I live now in the French Riviera; my 1 acre Property (buts up against the French National Forest) even has 3 separate “zones” for Fire Insurance purposes … and no new Construction allowed in the Red zone. I have the Honda powered pump to scavenge Pool water and the entire perimeter metal fence has 1” PVC pipe in ground with copper tubing up pipes with metal sprinkler heads. Note Insurance Companies like this and some even offer discounts for these measures (and help offset the installation costs long term). And yes, I have them sectioned off into Zones so if need be, the City water or my pump can keep adequate pressure in the most needed areas; think defending the Fort in the old movie “Zulu” … need the ability to move defenses around as needed. All house perimeters have either pave stone or Flag Rock 2 meters to the house, zero vegetation allowed near (again, concrete/stucco exteriors. Sadly, my windows are Wooden but have Wood shutters which would burn first … probably need to clad them with steel siding to help; I am a native Texan so know how the famous Texan Red Adair used simple 0.032” roofing tin as a shield against the intense blazes he fought … you can’t believe just how much the temp drops between surfaces (like your Face) with the heat dissipation of steel sheeting.

I am familiar with construction materials used in the USA … houses of Wood. No matter how I try to convince folks back home to build (and rebuild) in Concrete, they don’t listen after Fires, Tornadoes and Hurricanes. Even with telling them to re-read “The 3 Little Pigs” they don’t learn the lesson. The house you showed with all around it the houses burned to the ground as used non-combustible materials (at least exterior walls and cinder block fire breaks. Same with what happened with Tom Hanks’ house.

And this is key to the discussion and not mentioned in your Vlog. In most of the USA, the roofs are still “Asphalt Shingled” … many are switching to Clay tile (like the rest of the World that doesn’t have to put up with golf ball sized Hail) or newer Metal roofing that looks like Clay tile. The Sprinkler system you showed showering the Asphalt Roof is a great way to help keep it from igniting. But also know most Eaves back home are not “sealed” and some even are made to act as a “Vent” into the Attic as a function of “insulation” allowing the Attics to “breath” in hot Summers.

As shown, high winds simply throw the heat and cinders up into the Eaves and in some cases, directly into the Attic via the vented Soffit and Facia encapsulate Eaves to Roof lines. Overseas, they are “Sealed” with the clay tiles extending over the wooden Rafters a couple of feet and cemented in-place; there is zero exposed wood. Heat extraction of the Attics is done by powered extraction systems with soft ducting venting out of the structure at the base of the house; depending on size, it is run thru a large manifold and the heat and humidity (important to keep the rafters dry so they don’t rot out) exiting in multiple areas. A spare electrical generator is a good idea so positive pressure is maintained during Black outs year round. This type system can be retrofitted to any house and metal cladding, offset from the existing wooden Eaves with non-flammable Spacers to allow heat dissipation and not direct conduction to the existing Wood.

And lastly, ditch any vinyl siding, Eaves and WINDOWS as they will burn like gasoline once they reach flash point as shown in your videos. Exterior “Bricks” won’t do much good if your Window are made of flammable materials. And as a last ditch measure … SCUBA Tanks can help on the Smoke issue … full face masks exist for the kids/pets on a “Octopus” rig … just have to find a safe place to hunker down … a ditch, basement or pool as the flames and smoke rage around you. Hope this helps and gives you and your audience so ideas on Fire prevention. Good luck in SD … it’s a matter of “when” not “if” my friend.

[gsimons]

Fire resistant eave vents can help, too. This simple addition may have saved many homes as the fire department mentioned that many fires start in the attic where flying embers enter. This along with under eave sprinklers would seem to be a big deterrent.

[RahulMulchandanirmm]

Pool pumps are great for moving water but not great for pressure.
Can I suggest a small bypass tank that then has a second electric pump.
The purpose of the second tank is to avoid cavitation with two pumps running in paralel and can also give you a little buffer. You just have to ensure that your second pump does not move more water than the first pump or your buffer tank will dry out.
Alternitevly have a bypass pump in your system then you just turn the valves to bypass your pool pump and use the other pump directly.
Hope this helps anyone looking to set up a system like this.

[Fireweed]

That metal fence was not roof panels but a steel metal fence made in Australia and is fire rated called Durabond. I placed it on the edge of my property that will face the fire.