In scorched neighbourhoods, a few Los Angeles homes stand untouched

The remains of charred homes form rows across the Los Angeles landscape, as flames continue to engulf entire neighbourhoods in the Southern California city.

But among the crumbling walls on Monday, some homes stand untouched.

Through a mixture of luck and building design, a handful of houses in neighbourhoods otherwise reduced to ash withstood the punishing flames that destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least 24 people.

The differences were stark: One home atop a hill stood between burned trees and bushes, with untouched belongings visible from the windows. Below, the remains of other homes — parts of roofs, fences and walls, as well as air conditioning units and chair swings — were singed and crumpled.

The Walsh House, featured in the Beverly Hills 90210 television series, survived. So did its pristine lawn. Next door, the remains of a neighbour’s home were blackened with soot.

Some beachfront properties were also spared, with rows of scorched trees making way for a cluster of unspoiled homes. Others had a different fate with roofs and trees collapsing into the properties.

One man, David Slater, swept the driveway of his intact home just feet away from the charred remains of his neighbour’s car and a broken wall. Behind the gate of Slater’s home also lay fallen trees and debris.

California’s wildfires bear the fingerprints of climate change. Atmospheric rivers had dumped huge amounts of water on the region, causing plenty of plant growth. Then drought dried them out, creating perfect fodder for the flames.

Firefighters are preparing for a return of dangerous winds that could again stoke the flames on Monday.