‘Built to burn.’ L.A. let hillside homes multiply without learning from past mistakes
- Posted on February 9, 2025
- By Los Angeles Times
- 3 Views
![](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/6ccdaac/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2756x1550+0+246/resize/1200x675!/quality/75/?url=https://california-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com/72/34/832c944845a8bd19582058a1499f/bel-air-fires-fred-brown-lat-02-26-1962.jpg)
‘Built to burn.’ L.A. let hillside homes multiply without learning from past mistakes
![](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/6ccdaac/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2756x1550+0+246/resize/1200x675!/quality/75/?url=https://california-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com/72/34/832c944845a8bd19582058a1499f/bel-air-fires-fred-brown-lat-02-26-1962.jpg)
Los Angeles County keeps building in hillisides and canyons even as the fire risk worsen. For a century, the lure of development in natural surrounding has won out.