An analysis of fire and property records shows a higher survival rate for houses built after a landmark 2008 building code that required fire-resistant roofs, siding and other safeguards. All told, about 51 percent of the 350 single-family homes built after 2008 were undamaged. By contrast, only 18 percent of the 12,100 homes built prior to 2008 escaped damage. Those figures don't include mobile homes, which burned in nearly equal measure regardless of age.
