A home in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles survived being destroyed by a wildfire partly due to "design choices," according to the architect who designed it.
Greg Chasen shared an image on X, formerly Twitter, that shows the home intact while a neighboring home was destroyed. "No words really—just a horror show. Some of the design choices we made here helped. But we were also very lucky," Chasen wrote on the account @ChasenGreg.
Newsweek has contacted Chasen for further comment via social media.
The Context
Firefighters are battling to control a series of major fires in the Los Angeles area that have killed at least 10 people, devastated communities from the Pacific Coast to Pasadena, and forced over 180,000 people to flee their homes.
The Palisades fire, the largest of the blazes, has burned about 20,000 acres since it started on Tuesday morning. It has destroyed or damaged more than 5,300 structures in the coastal neighborhood of Pacific Palisades, making it the most-destructive fire in LA's history.
What To Know
The home, located on Iliff Street, remained standing while every other property on the street was completely destroyed, according to NBC Los Angeles.
The home's owner Chris told the station that his family has owned the property since 1998, but they recently rebuilt it and moved back in about six months ago.
On X, Chasen said that the home's features—including having a solid concrete perimeter and tempered glass windows—were among the reasons it wasn't destroyed.
"You have a sterile perimeter: no vegetation, except for the planters. You probably have a fire resistant roof and siding," one user wrote in response to his post. "You have a brick and mortar retaining wall. Those are all good safeguards against fire. There is no luck involved."
Chasen replied: "Also no vents or eaves and tempered glass windows. Lucky that there was bit more space from the neighbors—but unlucky that the neighbor pulled his car into driveway. Solid concrete perimeter wall probably saved us there."
What People Are Saying
Homeowner Chris told NBC Los Angeles: "I'm kind of in shock and I just feel terrible for the neighbors.
"We've just rebuilt the house, but we've been with those neighbors for that whole time, for almost 30 years, and to see that devastation on the block, it's terrible.
"I think we just need to be really considerate and caring and thinking about the people who've lost their home. We're super lucky and we're in a safe location, and everything is fine for us, even you know we're OK, but you know that's not going to be true for everyone in the neighborhood, and it's just utter devastation."
What's Next
Firefighters are continuing to battle the wildfires. The Palisades fire was about 6 percent contained by early Friday, according to California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE).
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