Architect Greg Chasen posted a solitary home still standing in the ruins of the burnt-out Pacific Palisades. “Some of the design choices we made here helped,” he wrote. “But we were also very lucky.” Many Australians seeing images of the devastating blazes in Los Angeles might wonder whether these homes are being built in a way that makes them especially susceptible to fire. The answer is complex. …the US is heavily reliant on timber framing for residential construction …at least 90 per cent of new single-family homes are timber. …in Australia, about 80 per cent of detached homes use timber. Timber is popular in earthquake-plagued California because of its flexibility. Most LA houses are timber-framed with an exterior made of stucco – a fire-resistant, cement and sand-based render and one of the most common building materials in the US. …it’s ultimately the location of these properties … that make them susceptible to fire.

Additional coverage in The Australian Financial Review, by Kriston Capps: Why did these homes survive the LA fires?