I wonder if he had any fire-retardant gel on hand to spray on his house. I've heard a some stories coming out of the wild fires where owners successfully used the gel to save their homes (and perhaps their cars). Supposedly there is some type of over the counter gel that can be applied with a water hose. There are also the services that come out with a tanker truck to spray your house with fire-retardants if there is a fire outbreak provided you pay them some big bucks up front.