NPR

How Houses Themselves Become Fuel For Wildfires

Wildfires destroyed thousands of homes across California this year. Fire scientists are discovering that most homes burn down from blowing embers, sometimes long after the the fire has passed.

When firefighter and Malibu town councilman Rick Mullen got the call last month for the Woolsey Fire, he set in motion a plan his family had long practiced. While he and his crew mobilized to the front lines, his son stayed home and defended their house, even though they were under evacuation orders.

His son and some friends were a small crew who knew what to do, had supplies to survive for days on their own, and they

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