As for the embers going from building to building, I think that was a combination of wind and the sheer size of the fire. That's why the fire professionals were saying it wasn't a matter of brush clearance.

We used to have wood shingle roofs. We replaced wood shingle roofs following fires in the 1970's - 1980's. The idea of replacing the rodent screen with one that has a smaller mesh to keep embers out, that came from a retired firefighter on tv who brought a sample to show.