How to fireproof a city
Down the street from the Los Angeles Angels' stadium in Anaheim, a crowd gathers to watch two homes burn.
In less than 30 minutes, one structure is reduced to its smoldering, blackened wood frame, while the other, thanks to simple changes to its design, is remarkably unscathed. Of course, this was the point of the demonstration, which was held last June by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) at a firefighting training center.
The heat from the burning demo home is fierce as we stand outside under a bright, cloudless sky. The plume of thick, black smoke is what eventually pushes me back from the front of the audience. …