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Neechoo Cheeska
Pepperoni please
TeamWarfare Vet
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| 08-16-2012 03:15 PM / profile
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http://photoblog.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/16/13314843-lone-house-surrounded-by-scorched-earth-survives-wildfire?lite
Wildfire burns everything around this house, but it stays standing.
Some people might say, "That's awesome!" but if I was the owner, I'd be pissed. Four possibly huge problems with this house now:
1. Even thought it appears untouched, there could be smoke smell or smoke damage inside.
2. A lot of building materials aren't designed to survive those kind of high temperatures. There could be hidden damage to insulation, etc, in the wall spaces.
3. Because no vegetation is on the hillside anymore, when rains come, it could result in mudslides or other water problems and flooding.
4. Huge loss in value. That house's value could be half (or lower) of what it was now. Who would want to live in a burn area? I bet the resale value of that house has plummeted.
If I was the owner, I would have wanted that thing to burn to the ground so I could at least collect the insurance money and rebuild somewhere else.
I feel sorry for these owners. On the surface, it might seem like a "win" because the house still stands, but I think it's a huge loss for them.
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Mockery
TeamWarfare Vet
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| 08-16-2012 03:39 PM / profile
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Good thing homeowners insurance loves to cover loses from those eminent floods and mudslides.......
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Mockery
TeamWarfare Vet
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| 08-16-2012 03:40 PM / profile
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Guy must have made his entire house out of oven gloves and asbestos...........
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{|}snake{|}
The REAL Snake!
TeamWarfare Vet
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| 08-16-2012 04:14 PM / profile
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Well there is still green around the house so the fire wasn't that hot. All of those trees and bushes would be brown/black and wilted.
Most likely a flash fire through there, especially considering there is still green on some of the trees above the house that were burned. If the fire was that bad they wouldn't even be standing. It was effectively a grass fire.
Smoke is more than likely the only damage to the house.
Judging from the portions of unburned land in the first mudslides won't be that big of a deal either. It's not like that vegetation had huge root systems. It will probably look near the same a year to two from now..
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Mockery
TeamWarfare Vet
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| 08-16-2012 04:22 PM / profile
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Originally posted by: {|}snake{|}
Well there is still green around the house so the fire wasn't that hot. All of those trees and bushes would be brown/black and wilted.
Most likely a flash fire through there, especially considering there is still green on some of the trees above the house that were burned. If the fire was that bad they wouldn't even be standing. It was effectively a grass fire.
Smoke is more than likely the only damage to the house.
Judging from the portions of unburned land in the first mudslides won't be that big of a deal either. It's not like that vegetation had huge root systems. It will probably look near the same a year to two from now..
With the exception of forests, it is amazing how fast ground vegetation grows back after a fire.
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Macresco
TeamWarfare Vet
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| 08-16-2012 05:43 PM / profile
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It survived because heat goes upward and this house is built in a pit. It's fine. No need to be pissed as an owner
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(SF) DirtyRatFink
TeamWarfare Vet
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| 08-16-2012 08:06 PM / profile
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All those problems you just listed are non issues. You can't get smoke damage from smoke coming into your house from a brushfire. You get smoke damage when something inside you house burns because of the materials burning (insulation, drywall, furniture, etc)
As for the the landscaping, Mockery is totally right. Next year it will be greener than it was this year. There are all sorts of plants that love to grow where nature has burned. And since I only see 1 tree that was burned, cut it down and next year you will never know it happened.
I give this thread a 2/10.
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Neechoo Cheeska
Pepperoni please
TeamWarfare Vet
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| 08-16-2012 09:16 PM / profile
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Non issues? I bet not.
I bet the surrounding area is worse off than what just those couple pictures suggest. This wasn't just an isolated brush fire. According to the article, it was a major fire that destroyed dozens of homes. I bet the surrounding area was torched, and that WILL affect property values.
Yeah, vegatation might come back, but that doesn't totally alleviate problems in a burn area.
That house has lost value. Probably a significant amount. I remember driving some clients through a burn area in Colorado when I was a real estate agent, and not any of them wanted to see any homes in that area. Even if the houses were fine and weren't in the actual burn area, but had a VIEW of it (like a scorched hillside) they weren't interested.
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(SF) DirtyRatFink
TeamWarfare Vet
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| 08-16-2012 11:53 PM / profile
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Originally posted by: Neechoo Cheeska
Non issues? I bet not.
I bet the surrounding area is worse off than what just those couple pictures suggest. This wasn't just an isolated brush fire. According to the article, it was a major fire that destroyed dozens of homes. I bet the surrounding area was torched, and that WILL affect property values.
Yeah, vegatation might come back, but that doesn't totally alleviate problems in a burn area.
That house has lost value. Probably a significant amount. I remember driving some clients through a burn area in Colorado when I was a real estate agent, and not any of them wanted to see any homes in that area. Even if the houses were fine and weren't in the actual burn area, but had a VIEW of it (like a scorched hillside) they weren't interested.
Oh, absolutely, the property value is down. But you make it sound like it will be for a long time. Next year it will all be green, the other houses will all be bulldozed, and his value will be back up again. In fact, his value could be back up faster then if he had to build a new house.
Don't argue with me. Just dont.
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IrishRebel
News Staff
Staff Writer
General News
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| 08-17-2012 12:35 AM / profile
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If I owned that house, I would be incredibly happy that my house had survived a flash fire like seen. The vegetation will regrow, any nearby homes that were lost will be rebuilt (potentially), and every priceless possession that you may not have been able to retrieve is still there.
Though the house may temporarily drop in value, the owners will come out on top in the end. In that sense, I agree with Fink.
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Neechoo Cheeska
Pepperoni please
TeamWarfare Vet
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| 08-17-2012 01:24 AM / profile
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I hate you all.
I don't make many threads here. The few I do make, I'd like a little community support.
Really, is it too much to ask for some folks to pop in here and post: "I agree with you, Neechoo! If it were my house, I'd burn the fucker down!"
But noooooo. I get a 2/10 rating and smack talk.
FML. Oh well, at least I'm not Cummins.
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Stoneymontana
New ride!
TeamWarfare Vet
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| 08-17-2012 01:42 AM / profile
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I've seen quite a few large forest fires & honestly, like others mentioned in a year to 2 it will be all new beautiful lush green land again. & it will look far better then it did before.
Unless they were looking to sell the home, i'm sure they are pretty stoked.
Smart thinking on someones part if they actually designed the property like that with fires in mind. It's definitely what saved it.
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Stoneymontana
New ride!
TeamWarfare Vet
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| 08-17-2012 01:47 AM / profile
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If you want to know how hot it was near the house, just look at the US flag hanging on the right side of the house , i'm assuming hanging over the garage. It looks untouched.
It wasn't very hot
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Stryk
TeamWarfare Vet
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| 08-17-2012 05:28 AM / profile
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Originally posted by: (SF) DirtyRatFink
Oh, absolutely, the property value is down. But you make it sound like it will be for a long time. Next year it will all be green, the other houses will all be bulldozed, and his value will be back up again. In fact, his value could be back up faster then if he had to build a new house.
Don't argue with me. Just dont. 2 years later, a half burned house is still standing in mother's quite suburban midwestern neighborhood.
If there are treed areas, those areas will look depressingly ugly for years if you've ever seen burned area out west. I think there is developing regret for the 'let the fire burn itself out' policy because forest isn't replacing as fast as it burns down and there's a net loss of forest that isn't being balanced. This seems especially true in national parks which are at altitude and regrowth is slower.
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Macresco
TeamWarfare Vet
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| 08-17-2012 08:20 AM / profile
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http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Do_ashes_make_good_fertilizer
In case you were wondering about the vegetation. Why do you think people go live next to a volcano. Very fertile soil around it. What do they teach you in school anyways? How to inject steroids to get a better chance of a scholarship?
Sorry that was uncalled for but I ain't deleting it either 
Neechoo for the new Cummins!!
Post edited by Macresco at 8/17/2012 8:21:52 AM
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{|}snake{|}
The REAL Snake!
TeamWarfare Vet
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| 08-17-2012 09:52 AM / profile
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Mock summed it up best but fine..
The Game and fish burns the undergrowth here usually 2 times a year in a lot of places. The shit grows back fast enough that they can burn it twice.
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-EB- Bluedoctor
TeamWarfare Vet
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| 08-17-2012 10:20 AM / profile
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Originally posted by: Neechoo Cheeska
I hate you all.
I don't make many threads here. The few I do make, I'd like a little community support.
Really, is it too much to ask for some folks to pop in here and post: "I agree with you, Neechoo! If it were my house, I'd burn the fucker down!"
But noooooo. I get a 2/10 rating and smack talk.
FML. Oh well, at least I'm not Cummins. You should frame it better. You raised an imprtant issue that this homeowner might face. People with some experience on the subject shared their views, in good faith, in order to give you a more complete picture of the recovery process. Looking at these responses objectively, I think its clear that we have some mature people on this board.
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{|}snake{|}
The REAL Snake!
TeamWarfare Vet
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| 08-17-2012 11:04 AM / profile
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Originally posted by: Neechoo Cheeska
I hate you all.
I don't make many threads here. The few I do make, I'd like a little community support.
Really, is it too much to ask for some folks to pop in here and post: "I agree with you, Neechoo! If it were my house, I'd burn the fucker down!"
But noooooo. I get a 2/10 rating and smack talk.
FML. Oh well, at least I'm not Cummins.
I still love you.
Let me rephrase that. I'll still make love to you.
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xclusive
King of JellyTeamWarfare Vet
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| 08-17-2012 11:24 AM / profile
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I never understood why people even buy homes in wildfire prone areas in the first place.
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~~Snake~~
TWL Member
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| 08-17-2012 11:38 AM / profile
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Originally posted by: Neechoo Cheeska
I hate you all.
I don't make many threads here. The few I do make, I'd like a little community support.
Really, is it too much to ask for some folks to pop in here and post: "I agree with you, Neechoo! If it were my house, I'd burn the fucker down!"
But noooooo. I get a 2/10 rating and smack talk.
FML. Oh well, at least I'm not Cummins. I agree with you. Smoke damage is hard to get all out. These so called experts must have never had a fire around them.
_______________________________________________________________
"If guns kill people then spoons make us fat!"
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[-NM-] -SS-
TeamWarfare Vet
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| 08-17-2012 12:13 PM / profile
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I heard if we reduce our carbon footprint, then there will be less carbon to be burnt.
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