I believe that the problem is largely development in areas which are not designed to support housing.

A related problem is people often build their homes on the beach or in a flood plain. The land gets eroded or flooded. The houses are destroyed. Then the people come back and rebuild in the same place because it's theirs.

Much of Southern California is a low rainfall zone. The growth there is subject to regular fires, which, when allowed to occur unchecked, clear the area and allow new growth. The fact of human development forces the need to fight these fires to protect the property which should not be there. It also keeps the fuel from being destroyed periodically, amking the fires worse than they might have been.

Will the people rebuild in the same place? Probably. Will the houses and buildings be more fire resistant? I hope so but I don't know.

There are real public policy issues here that need to be discussed.

By the way, Joe, I really do have sympathy for those who lost all they had, such as your friends. I hope they can rebuild somewhere else.