Another ignorant uniformed comment. FYI . . . I am in law enforcement, I worked the fire (elsewhere in San Diego), AND I live in 4S Ranch. As to “survive such a firestorm” thats exactly what 4S Ranch did in the October fire. The northern edge of 4S was in the direct path of the fire. The fire burned up to the edge, burned around, and burned past. Not a single home in 4S was even damaged, even slightly damaged. I personally watched the whole thing as it was occurring. After burning past 4S it burned up to and around homes in the Crosby (built according to same standards in terms of “shelter in place” for fires as 4S) again not even slightly damaging a single home. After burning past 4S, the Crosby, Cielo, and Bridges (also built according to same standards) the fire came to the eastern edge of Rancho Santa Fe. Here the same fire which passed 4S, Crosby, and Bridges without a SINGLE HOME BEING EVEN DAMAGED, the fire burned 60+ homes in Rancho Santa Fe. These homes of course were older and NOT built according to the same standard. Its a FACT, 4S while obviously not “fireproof” (nothing is) is very fire resistant and very safe from . . . Santa Ana wind driven wildfires. In fact if these types of fires are your concern . . . living in a home such as those in 4S, Crosby, Bridges etc is your best and safest bet. This is not my opinion but a confirmed and validated fact in the post fire analysis. See it here for yourself.
“Exclusive homes emerge unscathed as fire-protection concept is tested”
–A disputed land-use strategy designed to protect new developments from devastation in the county’s exurban, fire-prone areas appears to have passed its first and most critical test this week.
As the Witch Creek fire raced through some of San Diego County’s priciest neighborhoods and crept to the edge of others north and east of Rancho Santa Fe, not a single home in the five subdivisions that have implemented the strategy was lost, fire authorities said.
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The five communities, all within the Rancho Santa Fe fire district, are the only ones in the county where the plan has been adopted.
. . . .
Local fire officials say the unscathed homes speak for themselves.
“I believe shelter in place made the difference in this case,” Santa Fe Fire Marshal Cliff Hunter said (uh . . . that would be a loca “Fire” official that knows) “The bottom line is if you build appropriately and place the houses appropriately, and the landscaping and vegetation are appropriate, the homes should still be there.”
. . . .
Probably the most dramatic example of that is Cielo, a development of 178 multimillion-dollar custom homes that escaped damage despite a blaze that blackened hillsides all around it.
“It’s quite amazing,” said Mike Andrews, a superintendent for Rancho Cielo Estates, developer of the subdivision. “When you look up at the homes from the bottom of the hill, you see that the whole hill is black until you get within 100 feet of that house, and from there up to the house, it’s green.
“I was just blown away to see how well everything worked.”
. . . .
Common requirements for homes built in the shelter-in-place communities include indoor fire sprinklers, noncombustible roofs, wide roads and driveways for firefighting equipment and 100 feet of defensible space around homes with irrigated, fire-resistant plants
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Of course nothing is “fire proof” but for the types of fires that have damaged San Diego over the past several years no home in San Diego, except those right on the coast, are more protected from these fires than the homes in 4S Ranch. Moreover, the 4S Ranch homes have much better added protection for the higher probability fire risk of a home fire making the 4S homes the safest in San Diego when it comes to fire danger of all types. . . period. Its just a fact.
See here for story on sprinkler system in 4S quickly dousing negligence caused house fire that would have burned typical house to the ground.
