The sad thing is about this type of situation is it can be too late at that point.

A well prepared occupied home can be saved while all those around burn to the ground - if you know what to do.

There are risks and the home and lives may still be lost. But the well prepared home owner will know that if the house does catch it will still protect them long enough for the main fire front to pass making escape possible.

You've just got to understand the forces your up against - which are immense in the extreme.

There are exceptions. My father-in-law decided he'd stay and save his farm house. It was hard to see an threat, the open fields had been in a long drought and there was nothing to burn - how could a fire even reach the place? Well he said he thought it was the end of the world when unbelievably the fireball descended upon him. He jumped in the water tank - bad move under normal circumstances - boiled alive is not a good way to go. However it was moving quickly and passed in seconds. As he emerged from the now warm water the scene was one of total devastation - the house wasn't burning - that was over, it had exploded and burnt, in seconds.