The charred remains of homes form rows across the Los Angeles landscape, as flames continue to sweep through entire neighborhoods in the Southern California city.
But among the crumbling walls on Monday, some homes remained intact.
Through a combination of luck and building design, a group of homes in neighborhoods reduced to ashes managed to withstand the brutal fire that destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least two dozen people.
The differences were stark: one hilltop house was nestled among burned-out trees and bushes, and untouched property could be seen from the windows. Below, the remains of other homes – parts of roofs, fences and walls, as well as air conditioning units and chair swings – were burned and crumpled.
The Walsh house, featured on the TV series Beverly Hills 90210, survived. So did its pristine garden. Next door, the remains of a neighbor’s house were smeared with soot.
Some beachfront properties also survived, where rows of burned trees gave way to a cluster of pristine homes. Others had a different fate with roofs and trees collapsing on the property.
A man, David Slater, swept his intact driveway just feet from the charred remains of his neighbor’s car and a broken wall. Behind the gate of the Slater house there were also fallen trees and debris.
California wildfires bear the fingerprints of climate change and atmospheric rivers have dumped huge amounts of water on the region, causing a lot of vegetation to grow. The drought then dried them out, creating perfect fodder for the fire.
Firefighters are preparing for the return of dangerous winds that may fan the flames again on Monday.
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