PARADISE, Calif. — California, along with other Western states, is seeing larger and more destructive fires. The race is on to find workable solutions to minimize the risk to structures in a hotter, drier future.
While work has been done to fight fires, and reduce actions and activities prone to starting wildfires on windy days there is also work being done to understand how fires enter homes.
After a fire moves through a community a familiar patchwork remains. Some homes burn to the ground and others are left standing. The Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety tests different materials and building practices against a wall of embers in their facility. Over the many tests they have discovered some of the primary ways homes catch fire and how some can minimize that risk. An example is a wooden perimeter fence that is used for security and privacy.
The wooden boards of fencing can catch fire and then lead the fire directly to the side of a home. The research group advises putting nonflammable fencing several feet from the edge of the home and then connect to wooden fencing. They also advise a finer mesh for ventilation of a roof to prevent embers from entering attic space.
Their collection of building changes results in what they call a "Wildfire Prepared Home." This new standard to minimize fire ignition has now been adopted in the community of Paradise — the first to do so in the nation.
Much of Paradise was destroyed in the Camp Fire in 2018 and the community hopes rebuilding with fire-resistant homes and structures will result in a fire-resistant community that can withstand future fires with less impact.
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