Building dream houses in fire areas

Even as firefighters battled last week against the raging infernos encircling communities from the mountains to the sea, officials and experts were debating whether stronger local regulations would have averted the disaster. Kerry Cavanaugh and Lisa Friedman in the Daily News.

While analyses after previous wildfires have led to construction of more fire-resistant homes, few communities have limited or prohibited development in high fire-risk areas.

New subdivisions continue to sprout near wind-blown canyons, while dream houses spring up in the brush-covered hills above Malibu and the forests of the San Bernardino Mountains.