In October 2020, Irvine's Orchard Hills community faced the Silverado fire amid extraordinarily dry conditions and high Santa Ana winds. Despite being in the fire's path, meticulous planning and design allowed the neighborhood to remain unscathed. This outcome, attributed to the area's fire-resistant homes and effective city emergency responses, presents Orchard Hills as a model for future fire defense strategies in the drought-prone region of Southern California, where climate change continues to exacerbate wildfire risks.
"The flames licked at the neighborhood's outskirts, toasting a few leaves at the perimeter, but didn't damage a single residence in the community."
"As climate change sees Southern California burn time and time again, experts say that success stories should be extracted and mined for all they're worth."
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