After the October fires that have raged across the county, amid the ash-ridden landscape lies hope. Though nearly 1,600 homes were lost, many other homeowners successfully used elements of home design that fire officials recommend heartily. The result was that many evacuees returned to livable structures.

Carlsbad Fire Marshal James M. Weigand said he believes it was those landscaping and home improvements that helped save countless properties, although it was too early to know exact statistics.

"One of the simple things about wind-driven fire," said Weigand, "is that when the fire starts, the fire's going to move in the direction that the wind blows it as long as there's fuel. It's a fact of physics." Many home design aspects, he said, were able to slow down the blazes in some areas.

"Things like, if you keep the tree limbs trimmed at least 4 feet off the ground, that helps the ground fire from getting in the trees. Fires that get up in (leafy) canopies in the trees will move much quicker than a ground fire," he said.

No overhanging trees

As fire crews came across various homes, Weigand reported a difference between structures with a chance of survival versus others: "Those that paid close attention to where hazards are, such as trees hanging over homes or over roofs. That is always a bad thing," he said.

Also an enormous aid in reducing the fire's spread was the lack of a popular California tree.

"Some of the neighborhoods that the fire went through had eucalyptus trees. The fire just went through the crowns of those trees, taking out houses in between," Weigand said.

"Eucalyptus trees are horrible for fires. They have aerodynamic leaves that, when they catch on fire, the stem burns and the leaf floats. Then, the breeze can take it a mile or two down the road still burning and help spread the fire."

Landscapers also witnessed evidence that their fire prevention recommendations were heeded. Paul Flores, the ecological specialist for the Rancho Santa Fe homeowners association, saw firsthand how fire-smart landscaping protected hundreds of luxury homes in the fire's path.

"Not having any density around the house helped immensely," Flores said. "Keeping trees within 15 to 30 feet away from the house, the difference was incredible."

He said that his Rancho Environmental Services has already been contacted by the communities of San Marcos, Vista and Solana Beach about making their public lands safer from future fires.

Flores said he found that homes that were spared in fire areas shared a trait. "Thinning trees regularly was imperative in not creating fuel for the fire," he said. "We also saw homes that did not have a ladder of fuel; in other words, shrubs were completely absent from underneath any tree. In a fire, those will burn and give the tree time to catch fire, and then flames are on their way to the house."

Often, the blaze was slowed by common grass. "It is important to plant a lawn. When the fire came, in places, it literally stopped in front of the house," Flores said.

Weigand stressed the help that came from California's mandate on home windows. "Anyone who has bought a house in the last 10 years already has the required dual-glazed windows," he said. "They help keep the heat out. The same thing that reflects heat from the house from the sun does the same thing in a fire."

Give yourself space

According to Kenny Osborn, president of San Diego's Fire Prevention Services, another key to homes surviving a firestorm is the county defensible-space regulations, enacted in 2005.

"The recommendation is a 100-foot defensible space around the home," said. "The houses that have a fuel modification zone -- a good separation of plants through a property -- found that it didn't create a contiguous fuel bed going up to the house."

Though he said it didn't help directly with fire safety, Osborn cited an often-overlooked factor that did give firefighters another tool in saving homes. "Residents that have signage with their house number visible in a public access area -- that provided priceless help," Osborn said. Emergency responders could then identify the homes where calls were coming from.

The fires of 2007 left hundreds of homes destroyed, but tens of thousands survived. The mentality of homeowners and landscapers contributed to the increased awareness since the Cedar fires of 2003.

Though homeowners executed many fire-safety practices effectively, said Weigand, the most important was their response to the call to evacuate.

"We didn't have a repeat of what happened in the fires of 2003, where people got trapped because they waited too late and congestion caused them to die," Weigand said. "This time has been totally different."

Joel D. Amos is a freelance writer.

Tips on fire prevention

Patriot Roofing Inc. of San Diego, a member of the Tile Roofing Institute, offers this checklist for homeowners.

Short-term tactics

Defensible space: Defensible space is the area around a home, which is planted and maintained to provide a buffer zone against wildfire, and to provide firefighters access and room to protect the home. The width of acceptable defensible area depends on the steepness of the slope and the type of vegetation adjacent to the home. The steeper the slope and the heavier the vegetation, the wider the defensible space needed. Under optimum conditions, the minimum width should not be less than 30 feet. In some instances it could be as wide as 300 feet. Fire departments and local nurseries can provide more detailed information and a list of fire-resistant plants for landscaping needs.

Home maintenance: Maintaining your home's exterior can greatly reduce the risk of fire. Roofs and gutters should be cleaned regularly. Trees and shrubs should be kept pruned, and dried vegetation and debris should be cleared away from foundations and underneath decks.

Smoke alarms: Interior smoke alarms are one of the most inexpensive ways to protect family and home from fire. Smoke detectors should be installed on every level of the home, next to bedrooms and tested monthly.

Long-term tactics

Roofing: The roof is the most vulnerable part of any home during a wildfire. Most fires start when embers ignite non-fire-resistant roofing materials, such as untreated wood shakes. Independent testing sponsored by the Committee for Firesafe Dwellings has concluded that concrete or clay tile roofing is safer than traditional roofing materials such as shingle, shake or metal. Concrete and clay tile roofing products are Class A fire-rated and tend to be more durable. Warranties range from 50 years to the life of the structure. Concrete and clay tile roofs should be installed in accordance with the printed installation recommendations and should conform to local-area building codes and/or trade practices. Damaged roofs should be replaced with a non-combustible Class A roofing system.

Eaves: Eaves should be enclosed with fire-retardant soffits, non-combustible materials or one-hour fire resistant construction. Fire advancing on a home can easily be trapped under the eaves and other overhangs until it gains access to the attic or other interior spaces. Attic vents should be relocated from under the eaves to gable or roof areas. Prefabricated attic vents for gable roof applications are available.

Windows: Radiant heat can pass through windows and ignite combustible materials inside the home. Double- or triple-paned windows not only help to insulate a home and reduce heating and cooling expenses, they also act as a barrier to fire penetrating the interior of a home.

Chimneys: Chimneys should include an approved spark arrester and be at least 30 feet from tree limbs. Clean and maintain regularly.

Sprinklers: Automatic, quick-responding residential fire sprinklers have proven to be more than 90 percent effective in residential fires by controlling them while they're still small and in many cases extinguishing them. When a wildfire is threatening a home, sprinklers have helped deny it any foothold. This is partially accomplished by keeping combustible interior construction features and furnishings wet and cool. In recent years, residential sprinkler systems have become an affordable option for homeowners.

For more information, visit www.patriotroofing.com, or www.tileroofing.org.