I guess much of the land that burns around L.A. is classified as a desert by some. I was thinking more of the Mohave or Death Valley areas where there is much less fuel to burn and preventing structures from burning is a bit easier.
I live in the Mojave desert. Fires are a real problem here. I know people who have lost their homes because of them. We tend to have low humidity and high winds which are a bad combo. The desert isn't all sand dunes like people think. The dry brush burns really well. Here is what it looks like when it goes.
Source: I live there