Yes this is typical. Fire isn't just a blanket across the landscape, depending on the heat, the fuel, and the terrain it can create its own weather when it races through an area, the winds off of the fire like tendrils following up ridges. You'd probably be able to look at a topographical map of this fire's passage and see there is some small underlying ridge/valley effect going on there. Plus, the houses themselves are safer if there isn't vegetation right up to the walls; houses with tile versus composite roof materials are more resistant to sparks, and some of them may have sprinkled the roofs (literally putting a hose with a sprinkler up to the roof).