“No good deed goes unpunished”
Bui purposely built to a higher standard than code; he had worked in Germany where buildings are intended last for centuries and he used what he had learned to build his own home, which he apparently did on his own.
Those homes weren’t very old when the fire went through. Bui started building his in 1989, only four years before the fire. Even if Laguna Beach dramatically increased their own requirements they probably wouldn’t exceed what he had done.
Thanks for the info, that is good to know. A fire got uncomfortably close to us in North San Diego County many years ago ... even that was a frightening experience. Our whole neighborhood would have gone up in flames quickly.