Rows of the remains of as flames engulfed entire neighborhoods.

But among the crumbling walls, .

Through a mixture of luck and building design, handfuls of houses in neighborhoods otherwise reduced to ash withstood the punishing flames that destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least 24 people.

The differences were stark: One home atop a hill stood between burnt trees and bushes, with untouched belongings visible from the windows. Below, the remains of others’ homes — from parts of roofs, fences, walls to air conditioning units and chair swings — were singed and crumpled.