How's this for perspective ... a homeowner who saw all of his material possessions destroyed in the Los Angeles wildfires says he can cope with seeing his house and his car collection go up in flames ... because he didn't lose his life.

The man's literally standing next to the smoldering remains of his burned-down home as gets emotional about being thankful to be alive ... even though he lost everything he owned in the Eaton Fire.

It's an incredible interview with KTLA and cuts to the toll the fires are taking on L.A. residents ... and their resiliency in the face of danger and destruction.

While the homeowner gets tearful talking about losing the home he poured his heart and soul into, he says the only thing precious in this life is life itself.

Thousands of people are being evacuated as multiple fires spread in the L.A. area ... and sadly, lots of folks are going to need to adopt this mindset to make it through this devastating time.