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Owner of viral red house thinks this is why it survived Maui wildfires that turned everything else to ash
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Lazy Hawaii Democrats
Sep 17, 2023, 5:40:03 AM9/17/23
to
The owner of a red-roofed house in Maui that went viral for remaining
untouched by the historic wildfires has explained the small, unexpected
details that she thinks helped it survive in a neighborhood otherwise
reduced to ash.
Stunning aerial images of the unscathed property went viral last week —
while also sparking bonkers conspiracies that the local devastation was a
targeted laser attack from space.
However, owner Dora Atwater Millikin put it down to a handful of routine
changes during a recent renovation — none of which were aimed at surviving
such a disaster.
“It’s a 100% wood house so it’s not like we fireproofed it or anything,”
the landscape painter told the Los Angeles Times.
Atwater Millikin said that she and her husband, Dudley, a retired
portfolio manager, did not have wildfires in mind when they renovated the
100-year-old former bookkeeper’s house that they’ve owned for three years.
“We love old buildings, so we just wanted to honor the building,” said
Atwater Millikin. “And we didn’t change the building in any way — we just
restored it.”
One decision that may have unknowingly helped it survive the wildfire —
the deadliest in the US in more than a century — was replacing the asphalt
roof with one made out of heavy-gauge metal, she told the LA paper.
She was told that during the fire, “there were pieces of wood — 6, 12
inches long — that were on fire and just almost floating through the air
with the wind and everything,” she told the LA Times.
“They would hit people’s roofs, and if it was an asphalt roof, it would
catch on fire. And otherwise, they would fall off the roof and then ignite
the foliage around the house.”
There, too, they also unknowingly improved the property’s odds of
survival, having lined the ground with stones up to the drip line of the
roof, and cut down foliage that was up against the outside walls.
While it was implemented to keep out termites, not protect against fires,
it almost perfectly fit guidance given by experts, according to Susie
Kocher, a forestry adviser for the University of California Cooperative
Extension who co-authored a guide on how to harden homes against
wildfires.
“If shrubs and bushes, especially flammable ones, are right up next to the
house and embers catch them on fire, the heat can burst the window and it
goes right into the home from there,” Kocher told the LA Times.
The red-roofed house may also have benefited from not being too close to
neighboring properties — often the main fuel for fires — instead being
bordered on three sides by the ocean, a road, and an empty lot.
While the house had sprinklers, so did most of the neighbors’ properties,
and the system wasn’t working when needed because the power was out,
Atwater Millikin said.
However, any combustibles were largely removed from the under-deck area,
which also faced the ocean.
Kocher said the house had many of the qualities that would help it survive
such disasters.
“People generally think that it’s a big wall of flames that is catching
houses on fire, but often the mechanism is embers,” she said.
“So embers are coming from the flaming front, which could be some distance
away.”
That mistaken belief also creates wild unfounded rumors about why some
areas remain undamaged while all around is razed, she said.
“I think conspiracy theories can flourish when we don’t understand how
things happen,” Kocher said.
Atwater Millikin and her husband plan to return to Maui soon and open
their place to neighbors who were left homeless.
“We lost neighbors in this, and neighbors lost everything,” Atwater
Millikin told the California paper.
“So many people have lost everything, and we need to look out for each
other and rebuild. Everybody needs to help rebuild.”
R Valera
21 August, 2023
"The owner had replaced the asphalt roof with a heavy-gauge metal one and
removed vegetation near the outside walls." if only the local government
had cleared the dry grass and done controlled burns to manage the risks.
Dr.Gradle
22 August, 2023
Much like California this deadly fire disaster came from a lack of
preparation and planning not global warming. Lahaina is on the dry side of
Maui. The state did not clear accumulated dry brush in abandoned pineapple
and sugar cane fields which created a tinder box right next to Lahaina. No
fire breaks existed to protect settled areas. Old buildings with flammable
roof and building materials caught fire easily. High winds from the
hurricane caused energized power lines to come down and fanned the flames.
Problems occurred getting water supplies rerouted to fire hydrants.
Warning sirens did not occur in a timely manner. Where was the Fire
Departments defending the city? Did they lack adequate equipment? The Maui
emergency services director had no experience and has since resigned.
Global Warming is just an excuse for a huge failure of local government
planning and action rather than the cause.
https://nypost.com/2023/08/21/owner-of-mauis-unscathed-red-house-explains-
why-it-survived/
untouched by the historic wildfires has explained the small, unexpected
details that she thinks helped it survive in a neighborhood otherwise
reduced to ash.
Stunning aerial images of the unscathed property went viral last week —
while also sparking bonkers conspiracies that the local devastation was a
targeted laser attack from space.
However, owner Dora Atwater Millikin put it down to a handful of routine
changes during a recent renovation — none of which were aimed at surviving
such a disaster.
“It’s a 100% wood house so it’s not like we fireproofed it or anything,”
the landscape painter told the Los Angeles Times.
Atwater Millikin said that she and her husband, Dudley, a retired
portfolio manager, did not have wildfires in mind when they renovated the
100-year-old former bookkeeper’s house that they’ve owned for three years.
“We love old buildings, so we just wanted to honor the building,” said
Atwater Millikin. “And we didn’t change the building in any way — we just
restored it.”
One decision that may have unknowingly helped it survive the wildfire —
the deadliest in the US in more than a century — was replacing the asphalt
roof with one made out of heavy-gauge metal, she told the LA paper.
She was told that during the fire, “there were pieces of wood — 6, 12
inches long — that were on fire and just almost floating through the air
with the wind and everything,” she told the LA Times.
“They would hit people’s roofs, and if it was an asphalt roof, it would
catch on fire. And otherwise, they would fall off the roof and then ignite
the foliage around the house.”
There, too, they also unknowingly improved the property’s odds of
survival, having lined the ground with stones up to the drip line of the
roof, and cut down foliage that was up against the outside walls.
While it was implemented to keep out termites, not protect against fires,
it almost perfectly fit guidance given by experts, according to Susie
Kocher, a forestry adviser for the University of California Cooperative
Extension who co-authored a guide on how to harden homes against
wildfires.
“If shrubs and bushes, especially flammable ones, are right up next to the
house and embers catch them on fire, the heat can burst the window and it
goes right into the home from there,” Kocher told the LA Times.
The red-roofed house may also have benefited from not being too close to
neighboring properties — often the main fuel for fires — instead being
bordered on three sides by the ocean, a road, and an empty lot.
While the house had sprinklers, so did most of the neighbors’ properties,
and the system wasn’t working when needed because the power was out,
Atwater Millikin said.
However, any combustibles were largely removed from the under-deck area,
which also faced the ocean.
Kocher said the house had many of the qualities that would help it survive
such disasters.
“People generally think that it’s a big wall of flames that is catching
houses on fire, but often the mechanism is embers,” she said.
“So embers are coming from the flaming front, which could be some distance
away.”
That mistaken belief also creates wild unfounded rumors about why some
areas remain undamaged while all around is razed, she said.
“I think conspiracy theories can flourish when we don’t understand how
things happen,” Kocher said.
Atwater Millikin and her husband plan to return to Maui soon and open
their place to neighbors who were left homeless.
“We lost neighbors in this, and neighbors lost everything,” Atwater
Millikin told the California paper.
“So many people have lost everything, and we need to look out for each
other and rebuild. Everybody needs to help rebuild.”
R Valera
21 August, 2023
"The owner had replaced the asphalt roof with a heavy-gauge metal one and
removed vegetation near the outside walls." if only the local government
had cleared the dry grass and done controlled burns to manage the risks.
Dr.Gradle
22 August, 2023
Much like California this deadly fire disaster came from a lack of
preparation and planning not global warming. Lahaina is on the dry side of
Maui. The state did not clear accumulated dry brush in abandoned pineapple
and sugar cane fields which created a tinder box right next to Lahaina. No
fire breaks existed to protect settled areas. Old buildings with flammable
roof and building materials caught fire easily. High winds from the
hurricane caused energized power lines to come down and fanned the flames.
Problems occurred getting water supplies rerouted to fire hydrants.
Warning sirens did not occur in a timely manner. Where was the Fire
Departments defending the city? Did they lack adequate equipment? The Maui
emergency services director had no experience and has since resigned.
Global Warming is just an excuse for a huge failure of local government
planning and action rather than the cause.
https://nypost.com/2023/08/21/owner-of-mauis-unscathed-red-house-explains-
why-it-survived/
David Hartung
Sep 17, 2023, 6:49:12 AM9/17/23
to
There are those who have said from the beginning that this tragedy was
do more to land mismanagement than anything else, this story lends
credence to such claims.
Lou Bricano
Sep 17, 2023, 11:54:38 AM9/17/23
to
The comma is wrong. You are illiterate. If I wrote illiterately as you do, I
would have written, "The comma is wrong, you are illiterate."
Lou Bricano
Sep 17, 2023, 11:55:34 AM9/17/23
to
On 9/17/2023 3:49 AM, David Hartung wrote:
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