While I agree that parts of the Palisades are much more difficult to protect from these events given the geography (but even then, well-built houses survived),

While I agree that parts of the Palisades are much more difficult to protect from these events given the geography (but even then, well-built houses survived), that's just not the case as to what happened in Altadena. Most Altadena homes were built before fire prevention standards were in place, and there are tons of pictures where all the houses in a neighborhood burned but the trees are still standing. Here is an article about homes that survived specifically due to their fire-prevention strategies, https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/property/these-homes-withstood-la-fires-architects-explain-why https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/property/these-homes-withst.... And note, of course nothing is 100%, but good fire prevention is like vaccination: it not only lowers your risk of catastrophe by some percentage (say 80%), but it also greatly lowers the risk of you spreading the contagion to others.