With the risk of drought and wildfires increasing across the country, it’s more important than ever to consider just how flammable your home might be.
Key Takeaways
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- Increased risk of wildfires is driving up home insurance costs, particularly in the most vulnerable areas.
- Wildfire damage affects the outside of the home first, unlike other types of home fires.
- Fire resistance starts with careful choice of building materials, but you can also make improvements to add protection.
With wildfires increasing year after year, more homeowners are thinking about the future of their houses – and whether they have a future at all as the climate rapidly changes. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Environmental Information, there has been a billion-dollar wildfire event every year from 2015 to 2024, which ended up costing over $108 billion and resulted in incredible numbers of homes destroyed.
This doesn’t include the January 2025 LA wildfires, which have so far affected over 57,000 acres, and over 16,200 structures, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) website.
Due to these increasing costs, as well as the danger to human life, areas prone to wildfires are becoming increasingly difficult to insure, making it even more important that homes in those areas and adjacent to them have plans for the day fire approaches.
But can you build or renovate a home that’s truly fireproof?
What Does Wildfire Damage Look Like?
Wildfire damage is not like a kitchen or basement fire, with smoke and flames primarily damaging a home’s interior. Wildfire damage starts outside and moves inward, sometimes from quite a distance.
“The biggest risk to homeowners in the event of a wildfire is not just the fire itself, but also the embers that can travel long distances and ignite materials around the home,” says Megan Micco, CEO of Megan Micco Inc. and a real estate agent at Compass in Berkeley, California. “Smoke damage is a significant concern, but is generally less destructive than the fire and embers.”
When it comes to wildfire damage, the external parts of your house are the first line of defense and first at risk, but it might be surprising where those embers get lodged, according to Micco. “The roof, eaves, vents and decks are often the most vulnerable parts of a home during a wildfire,” she says.
According to Cal Fire, the three main ways your home is exposed during a wildfire are direct flames, radiant heat and flying embers. Although the fire itself is a risk, there are many ways your home can be exposed to damage and destruction during a wildfire.
What Is a Fireproof House?
It’s important to define things like “fireproof” before you put all your hopes and wishes on the materials you choose to create that outcome. A fireproof home isn’t guaranteed to never burn, but it stands a better chance than one made of wood and other combustible materials. “Fire resistant” may be a more realistic term.
“Owning a fireproof home means your home is designed and constructed to withstand a fire,” says Chris Stevenson, sales manager and business developer at 730 South Exteriors in Meridian, Idaho. “This does not mean that your home will not burn under any circumstances, but it does mean that it is less likely to catch fire and more likely to survive a fire if it does occur. To build a fireproof home, you need to use materials and construction methods that can resist the high temperatures and flames of a fire.”
“Every second counts when fighting fires,” says Niki O’Brien, operations manager with Custom Exteriors in Berthoud, Colorado. “With limited resources and perfect conditions for spreading, the more time you can buy before the fire penetrates your home, the better.”
Choosing Fireproof Materials
If you’re building a new home in an area that’s fire-prone, it’s important that you choose materials that aren’t going to burn. Key areas to focus on, besides landscaping, are the siding and roofing, but there other aspects of your home that you need to consider.
“If I were building a fireproof home from the ground up, it would be built out of concrete, brick, stone and mortar,” says John Mazzuca, custom homebuilder with Gambrick Construction in Point Pleasant, New Jersey. “I’d then use steel and glass for the windows. I’d minimize the amount of glazing in the home to better insulate it and protect it from fires. This design would also extend to the roof.”
For existing homes, the rules are the same, but you can also add materials to create a barrier between your home’s flammable parts and the outside world without completely rebuilding your home. Fiber cement siding is a good option for homes that currently have wood or vinyl siding, and is simple for a homeowner to install without a lot of additional construction.
“I’ve seen firsthand the protection that fiber cement siding can have on a home and community,” says retired firefighter Dan Dwyer of Grizzly Flats, California, and a consultant with James Hardie Building Products Inc., manufacturer of fiber cement products.
Dwyer reminds potential homebuyers to consider fire resistance during their home search but adds that it’s not a deal-breaker.
“If you are in the market for a new home and the home that catches your eye isn’t already equipped with fire-resistant attributes, it’s important to remember that you can always make improvements to enhance your dream home’s resilience,” says Dwyer.
Here are other areas of your current or new home to consider when fireproofing, according to Cal Fire:
- Landscaping. It isn’t so much what you plant but how you maintain it when it comes to a wildfire. Overgrown landscaping in need of pruning or that sheds excessively can create extra fuel for a fire. Try to follow a defensible zones plan with your landscaping, where the first 5 feet from buildings, structures and decks is primarily hardscaping like gravel and concrete, without any combustible mulch, and landscaping density is slowly added as you move further from the house.
- Roofing. Roofs made of metal, clay, tile or composition materials are best in fire-prone areas. Be sure to remove any plant debris, such as branches or leaves, and block spaces between the roof decking and covering to keep embers out.
- Vents. Cover all vents with openings larger than 1/8-inch square with metal mesh, or choose ember and flame resistant vents.
- Siding. Swapping vinyl or wooden siding for ignition resistant materials like stucco, masonry or fiber cement siding is especially important if your home is within 30 feet of other houses. Be sure materials extend from the foundation to the roof.
In general, always opt for noncombustible materials for the exterior of your home, even on outbuildings or fence sections that are close to your home. While this may not stop all fire damage, it can certainly slow down a fire, and may buy you the time it takes for a fire crew to get to your house.
Why Go Fireproof?
If you’ve survived a wildfire, there’s no question as to why fireproof housing matters. But if you live in an area that is just starting to experience wildfires, you may wonder if there are other benefits to fireproofing your home. There are plenty.
“Fireproofing a home makes it much better insulated, which brings down heating and cooling costs,” Mazzuca says. “It makes the home more comfortable to live in because there are no drafts or hot and cold spots. If you’re living in the right area, it also adds value to the home because of how energy efficient they are.”
You may find that your fireproof home is easier to insure and sell later. But, most importantly, you will know that your family will likely have time to safely evacuate should a wildfire grow.
“Because most Colorado mountain town residents know the requirements and costs of replacing existing materials with fire-resistant materials, they most definitely add value to your home in our area,” says O’Brien. “Our local real estate agents understand the costs associated if these repairs have not been completed yet.”
“The most important benefit of fireproofing your home is peace of mind,” O’Brien says. “Your home holds everything important, including your family. So, considering that, the idea that you have taken every precaution to avoid damage can be reassuring.”
Source: realestate.usnews.com ~ By: Kristi Waterworth ~ Image: Canva Pro
