One of the worst affected towns on Maui is Lahaina. Aerial images show black scorched ground and in the middle of it: the white house with a red wooden roof, apparently untouched. The house is not the only building to survive, but the photo has caused attention on social media where people are asking how it is possible.
“Not fireproof”
The owner of the house tells American media that they think a lot about what made their house escape the flames.
– It’s a wooden house, and it’s not fireproof or anything, says Dora Atwater Millikin, one of the owners of the Los Angeles Times.
According to experts, the wind may have suddenly turned, and the owners’ clearing of deciduous trees close to the house may have had an effect. The couple who own the house have spent a lot of time on the renovation and speculate themselves whether the choice of material on the roof might have saved their home.
See the pictures and hear fire engineer Lars Brodin’s analysis in the clip above.