Trees

I was trying to think of a good explanation for trees still standing while houses and aluminum wheels are melting into the ground in fires.

One possible explanation might be that there is some water in live trees even in a drought. But, the wood in houses is long dried (since the trees were cut down and turned into lumber). So, houses are dry wood and trees that are alive and have some water in them and so they might be harder to burn. Then, "How do bath tubs melt in these fires into puddles of metal"?

I'm not sure I have the answer to this question.

However, if you have ever driven from Mt. Shasta to Redding (or Redding to Mt. Shasta) recently on Interstate 5 you can see the Hirz fire remnant. What they have done since the fire to prevent erosion and the destruction of the freeway many places is to cut down burned and dead trees and to grind them up into sawdust and sprinkle the sawdust up to a foot deep on the ground to prevent erosion during heavy rains from now until summer time. However, back within about a block of the highway trees are still standing mostly dead with their once green pine needles turned yellow from the heat and the bark black on many trees from partly burning in the fires. These trees have been left in place a lot in the hopes that some will return to life (a few) and others other trees though dead will help slow the mud flows and rain onto the highway and into the Sacramento River nearby Interstate 5. Interstate 5 follows to some degree the path of the Sacramento River from Mt. Shasta City to Redding (to some degree) and the train tracks  the same.

So, I guess what I'm saying here is they are protecting likely Interstate 5 and to some degree the train tracks from erosion from the fires from rain between Mt. Shasta city and Redding until more trees and undergrowth can get started where it is bare now.

However, another problem they might not be looking at is if erosion (mud and rocks) gets into the Sacramento Rive nearby, it would or could also erode until the Freeway if water is built up in small lakes or groups of dead trees too much for the water to push away. But, with the flow of the water of the Sacramento River at that point it would really have to be a lot of mud and rocks and bushes and trees to occlude the river enough to erode under the freeway or under the train tracks. But, it is a distinct possibility in some fluke situations. But, hopefully people are watching during heavy downpours for blockages to the river after the fires.