embers

Contrary to popular belief, the most destructive force in most Southern California wildfires isn’t the flames — it’s the embers.

As fires devour flammable brush and vegetation, the heat propels burning embers upward.

Some fire researchers say taking simple steps to clear yards, roofs and gutters of flammable vegetation and ensuring there is absolutely no opening for embers to get inside — whether a dog door, a vent or an open window — can virtually fireproof a home.

In a case like the Mountain fire, “It truly is random,” said Ferris, the fire analyst, “when you have the fires moving this fast and the amount of the embers it casts going everywhere and the size of the embers too.”

With embers flying everywhere and hitting the house, “I knew it was done.”