MANILA, Philippines — As wildfires continue to rage in a number of neighborhoods in Los Angeles, uplifting stories about houses spared from damages are giving residents hope for recovery in their communities.
Pictures of homes still standing while their neighbors burned down have been circulating in the Internet in the past week, like some beachfront structures still standing because trees took the brunt of the flames.
Related Stories
The Walsh House, known for appearing in the show "Beverly Hills 90210" and its lawn, survived fires while the house beside it was covered in soot.
One homeowner in Altadena — the neighborhood affected by the Eaton Fire — was surprised to learn that his family's house and the two on either side of it were still standing while other houses on the block were not.
A similar incident happened elsewhere in Altadena when one woman's house did not catch fire, while the other six houses on her block did, and she believes it was because the fire must have burst a pressurized water pipe when it hit a fence.
No words really - just a horror show. Some of the design choices we made here helped. But we were also very lucky. pic.twitter.com/kpqfiRj49M
— g chasen (@ChasenGreg) January 9, 2025
Experts said such houses could have survived because of a smart, fire-resilient design or the owners prepared in advance, that firefighters arrived quickly on the scene, or simply it was a stroke of luck.
Fireproofing a home would mean building a house's parts like the roof, walls, and windows with flame-resistant materials such as concrete and steel.
One architect shared on X (formerly Twitter) that a house he designed and helped build last year survived the Palisades Fire likely because of one-hour fire-rated walls, a rood and deck made of non-combustible materials, and tempered, multi-pane glass windows.
Elsewhere in the Pacific Palisades, a house was spared because the fire split in two by a landslide. A mud slide and wildfire debris built up behind the hous, pushed it off its foundation.
Another house in the Pacific Palisades also survived because the homeowner, a military veteran, bought multiple garden sprinklers and hoses after a fire got near his home a few years ago while he was away.
Perhaps the most miraculous story about a surviving house was one relayed by Catholic author, radio host, and evangelist Jesse Romero about the home of his friend who is a lawyer, movie producer, and Altadena resident.
Romero said his friend performed the Epiphany Blessing over the doors of his house on January 6, when the Solemnity of the Epiphany was celebrated, before he and his family were evacuated the following day.
According to the evangelist, all the houses in the area had burned to the ground, except his friend's, which was "unscathed."
While he acknowledged that his friend are well-off, Romero claimed it was not a coincidence that his colleague's practices as a devout Catholic spared his family's house.
Something similar occured when a family returned home to find their house destroyed but their statues of the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph located outside were a little singed but otherwise in good condition.
RELATED: Virgin Mary statue goes viral after unscathed from Los Angeles wildfire