Some Los Angeles homes made it through the firestorm. Here's how

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The key safeguards are things that can be done to the house itself, as well as the environment directly around it, including the density of flammable plants. Many are already requirements in California's building codes for fire-prone areas and its rules for clearing nearby brush and vegetation, known as creating "defensible space." Few other Western states have adopted similar standards, even those that have seen destructive wildfires.

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"If this garage was closer, it could have led to the loss of this structure," Hawks says. "Our research is saying at ten feet or less, that's so close together that when one ignites and is burning, even good materials have a hard time withstanding that much exposure."

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The home's building materials check a lot of other boxes for Hawks. The roof is fire-resistant, which is known as "class A," the gutters are metal, and the windows are made of double-paned tempered glass, which are better at resisting shattering in high heat.

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The surviving house is a newer one. Hawks says the homeowner likely had to construct it to comply with California's building codes for wildfire areas, known as "chapter 7a," which mandate many of these features. Studies show that for new construction, the codes don't have to add a significant cost. Older homes in the area don't often meet these codes, but Hawks says retrofits can still be done.

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