On Dec. 30, 2021, a wind-driven wildfire[1] raced through two communities just outside Boulder, Colorado. In the span of about eight hours, more than 1,000 homes[2] and businesses burned.
The fire left entire blocks in ash, but among them, pockets of houses survived[3], seemingly untouched. The owners of these homes may have felt relief at first. But fire damage can be deceiving, as many soon discovered.
When wildfires like the...