meaning

Dear Teacher,


I'm reading a English novel. Please look at this paragraph:




Everything is stucco, red tile roofs, bougainvillea, distressed beams, adobe brick walls, arched windows, palm trees, balconies, ferns, fountains, paseos, and flowers in bloom. Historical restorations abound. It's oddly unsettling--so lush and refined that it ruins you for anyplace else.




Please explain carefully the last sentence in this paragraph: its meaning and structure.




I could see a set of elevator doors and an exit leading to a set of fire stairs.

What is the meaning of fire stairs? Is it a compound?




..., but the sides and back of the building were flat and unadorned, as though the architect had applied a Mediterranean veneer to a plain plywood box, adding a lip of red tile at the top to suggest an entire roof when there was none.




Please explain the meaning of this sentence carefully.




Thank you!