Rows of charred houses filled the Los Angeles landscape while entire neighborhoods went up in flames.
But between the crumbling partitions, some houses stand untouched.
Through a combination of luck and engineering planning, a handful of homes in otherwise reduced neighborhoods survived the devastating blaze that destroyed 1000’s of homes and killed no less than 24 people.
RELATED: Why are lonely houses left standing after California wildfires? It's not entirely luck
The differences were striking: a house on a hill stood between burnt trees and bushes, untouched belongings visible from the windows. Below, the stays of other people's homes – from parts of roofs, fences, partitions to air conditioners and chair swings – were scorched and crumpled.
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The Walsh House from the tv series “Beverly Hills 90210” was preserved. This also applies to the stainless lawn. Next door, the stays of a neighboring house were blackened with soot.
Some beachfront properties were also spared, and rows of burned trees gave strategy to a cluster of untouched homes. Others had a unique fate: roofs and trees collapsed into houses and emergency services worked through the rubble.
A person, David Slater, swept the driveway of his intact home, just meters from the charred stays of his neighbor's automobile and a broken wall. There were also fallen trees and debris behind the gate of Slater's house.
The wildfires in California bear the traces of climate change. Atmospheric rivers drained vast amounts of water across the region, leading to abundant plant growth. Then the drought dried them out, creating perfect fodder for the flames.
Firefighters are preparing for a return of damaging winds that might fuel the flames again on Monday.
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