Wildfire Science

Embers, wildland-urban interface fires and why some homes survive.

A metal roof gutter packed with dry pine needles and cones, where four charred, glowing pieces of bark smoulder and a thin wisp of smoke rises, with pine trees and a dusk sky behind.

Wildfire Science

Home Hardening: Why Embers, Not Flames, Burn Down Houses

Most homes lost to wildfire never meet the flame front. See how embers get in, what home hardening buys in the field data, and where it stops working.

October 24, 2026 · 19 min read