As the Santa Monica-based architect Abeer Sweis watched the Palisades Fire lay waste to large ... a defensible space around the house that looks more like a comfortable paved patio than a firewall.

Jefferson Parish Fire Department are on the scene of a structure fire in the 3800 block of Simone Gardens in Metairie.

For many homeowners, like Enrique ... why my house would not have burned." Many experts say luck does play a part. After all, wind can shift 180 degrees in a split second, pushing fire away ...