Real-world proof
THE "MIRACLE HOUSE" OF LAHAINA
271 Front St., Lahaina, Maui — the only home that survived the August 8, 2023 wildfire that destroyed over 2,000 structures.
Photo: Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images · NPR, Aug. 24 2023
Photo: Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images · NPR, Aug. 24 2023
The evidence is clear
MITIGATION SAVES HOMES.
When the August 2023 Lahaina wildfire tore through historic Front Street — destroying over 2,000 structures and killing 100 people — one house stood untouched. The reason wasn't luck alone. Owner Trip Millikin had recently renovated the 1925 home with a commercial-grade corrugated metal roof, removed all vegetation along the home's dripline, and added a stone noncombustible buffer at ground level — the exact steps recommended by wildfire mitigation checklists.
"The metal roof and lack of adjacent flammable material … certainly limited the means by which the structure could have ignited."
— Daniel Beveridge, Colorado State Forest Service, speaking to NPR
2,000+
Structures destroyed in Lahaina — while the mitigated home survived
Class A
Metal roof rating — the #1 mitigation step on the CSFS checklist
$800K+
Typical Maui rebuild cost — vs. the cost of mitigation upfront
Zone 1A
Stone buffer at dripline — the same 0–5 ft noncombustible zone we assess
"I think it's a combination of a commercial-grade corrugated metal roof, the stone around the house, the palms around the house that absorb the heat — and a lot of divine intervention."
— Trip Millikin, homeowner, 271 Front St., Lahaina
