A home stands next to one destroyed by the Eaton Fire on Jan. 9 in Altadena. Home hardening appears to have saved some properties from the fires in Los Angeles County.

The horrific wildfires that devastated the Los Angeles area — and necessitated a $1 billion bailout of the FAIR Plan, California’s insurer of last resort — have many people asking why so few homeowners harden their homes against wildfires.

Home hardening is how homeowners reduce their wildfire risk by retrofitting their homes with fire-resistant materials and removing excess vegetation. A report by Guidewire analyzed data from over 90,000 California homes and found that home hardening consistently reduced wildfire risk, in terms of likelihood and damage severity.

The wildland-urban interface is where human development and nature collide, leading to greater wildfire risk. From 1985 to 2013, around 80% of the buildings destroyed by wildfires in California were located in this interface. The areas ravaged by the Los Angeles County wildfires — Altadena, Malibu and Pacific Palisades — are all part of this zone. Yet despite the risks involved with living in these areas, it appears that few homes there were fire-resistant. Meanwhile, fire-resistant architecture and defensible open space appear to have saved some of the homes that were not destroyed.

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