The Miracle House in Lahaina

On the morning of August 8th, powerlines fell in high winds and started the Maui Wildfire, but one house in Lahaina still stands- becoming the subject of national news.

The death toll stands at 115, with over 350 missing, and causing over $4 billion in losses.

The owners were on a trip to Massachusetts when they heard there was a fire in Lahaina- their house would likely go up with the rest. By morning, to everyone’s shock, news footage showed the house was still standing. "It looks like it was photoshopped in", owner Trip Millikin told Honolulu Civil Beat.

How the 100 year old house survived such total devastation is up to a variety of factors, but the owners had recently remodeled with river stones around the house, removed plants close to the house, and added a metal roof; “It's a 100% wood house, so it's not like we fireproofed it or anything," Dora Atwater Millikin told the Los Angeles Times.

However, experts agree they had, especially with the addition of a river rock barrier around the house- 90% of houses that burn down in wildfires are set alight by embers landing in flammable materials on or around the house- an area of gravel or rock just 3-5 feet wide, without flammable plants, can remove many of the common sources for ember ignition, creating a small defensible zone around the house.

The next layer after your house’s surroundings is hardening the house itself against fire- this includes things like gutter guards to prevent dry leaves and pine needles from gathering in vulnerable places, putting guards over vents for things like your drier, and metal roofing or siding. Even a coat of a fire-resistant intumescent paint can help.

Simple, cost effective, and aesthetically pleasing measures like these are time-tested and proven to reduce the risk of wildfire to your home, and we’re applying them right here in Boulder, CO