About two or three decades ago, long before the Internet.
My Dad showed me a photo (full page spread) in a
magazine. It may have been Smithsonian. I don't remember
the city, but the story tells of a fellow who had a house
built from the ground. He knew he was in a fire prone
area, and so he did some research. Found out what
made houses fire resistant, and built all the various
fire resistant features.

Types of shingles, double pane glass, and exterior
construction, etc.

Sure enough, a couple years later, they had a forest
fire. The house he built was intact, and looked virtually
untouched. And around him was a sea of rubble, char,
and destruction.

Talking about ant surrounded by grasshoppers!

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

Stormin Mormon wrote:

About two or three decades ago, long before the Internet.
My Dad showed me a photo (full page spread) in a
magazine. It may have been Smithsonian. I don't remember
the city, but the story tells of a fellow who had a house
built from the ground. He knew he was in a fire prone
area, and so he did some research. Found out what
made houses fire resistant, and built all the various
fire resistant features.

Types of shingles, double pane glass, and exterior
construction, etc.

Sure enough, a couple years later, they had a forest
fire. The house he built was intact, and looked virtually
untouched. And around him was a sea of rubble, char,
and destruction.

Talking about ant surrounded by grasshoppers!

It's not that difficult really, as long as you keep trees cleared back
far enough to eliminate the threat of a burning tree falling directly
onto the house, the remaining threat is from small blowing embers and
materials that won't ignite from such short lived threats are readily
available.

That said, it is also relatively easy to stay and fight off a fire, with
good odds of success as long as those trees are kept clear. There was a
story a few years back of CA wildfires where some folks refused to
evacuate and instead stayed to fight, quickly dousing any embers that
landed on the roof and whatnot with hoses. The pictures later showed a
sea of charred rubble, with two completely undamaged houses in the
middle, the folks who stayed and the home of elderly neighbors which
they had also managed to protect.

The key thing if you do stay to fight is to ensure that you have
repiratory protection from the smoke, a *reliable* water source to fight
the fire with, and an all else fails hole in the ground to retreat into
if you are loosing.

Pete C. wrote:

Stormin Mormon wrote:

About two or three decades ago, long before the Internet.
My Dad showed me a photo (full page spread) in a
magazine. It may have been Smithsonian. I don't remember
the city, but the story tells of a fellow who had a house
built from the ground. He knew he was in a fire prone
area, and so he did some research. Found out what
made houses fire resistant, and built all the various
fire resistant features.

Types of shingles, double pane glass, and exterior
construction, etc.

Sure enough, a couple years later, they had a forest
fire. The house he built was intact, and looked virtually
untouched. And around him was a sea of rubble, char,
and destruction.

Talking about ant surrounded by grasshoppers!

It's not that difficult really, as long as you keep trees cleared back
far enough to eliminate the threat of a burning tree falling directly
onto the house, the remaining threat is from small blowing embers and
materials that won't ignite from such short lived threats are readily
available.

It's not always a due to the home being clear of brush. There have
been fire resistant homes (masonry, no roof overhang, asphalt
shingles, steel shutters over the windows) that survived where all the
surrounding houses burned to the ground. IOW the house had been
through a firestorm and had been completely engulfed in flames.

But even after a forest fire burned down all the homes in an area,
HOAs have opposed allowing anything but traditional wood construction,
even masonry made to look exactly like log cabins.


That said, it is also relatively easy to stay and fight off a fire, with
good odds of success as long as those trees are kept clear. There was a
story a few years back of CA wildfires where some folks refused to
evacuate and instead stayed to fight, quickly dousing any embers that
landed on the roof and whatnot with hoses. The pictures later showed a
sea of charred rubble, with two completely undamaged houses in the
middle, the folks who stayed and the home of elderly neighbors which
they had also managed to protect.

The key thing if you do stay to fight is to ensure that you have
repiratory protection from the smoke, a *reliable* water source to fight
the fire with, and an all else fails hole in the ground to retreat into
if you are loosing.

Well, for once, I have the proper music
for the moment:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIoBrob3bjI
Sub "forest fire" for bomb.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

"larry moe 'n curly" wrote in message
...


But even after a forest fire burned down all the homes
in an area, HOAs have opposed allowing anything but
traditional wood construction, even masonry made to
look exactly like log cabins.

On Jun 28, 9:10*pm, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote:
Well, for once, I have the proper music
for the moment:
* * *http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIoBrob3bjI
Sub "forest fire" for bomb.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
*www.lds.org
.

"larry moe 'n curly" wrote in ...

But even after a forest fire burned down all the homes
in an area, HOAs have opposed allowing anything but
traditional wood construction, even masonry made to
look exactly like log cabins.

given the new global weather perhaps all new homes should be built to
fire resistant and super insulated standards?

So true! And with the ozone layer being depeted by cow farts, we also need
to rub SPF-50 cream all over our houses.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

"bob haller" wrote in message
...

But even after a forest fire burned down all the homes
in an area, HOAs have opposed allowing anything but
traditional wood construction, even masonry made to
look exactly like log cabins.

given the new global weather perhaps all new homes should be built to
fire resistant and super insulated standards?

On Fri, 29 Jun 2012 04:36:44 -0700 (PDT), bob haller wrote:

On Jun 28, 9:10*pm, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote:
Well, for once, I have the proper music
for the moment:
* * *http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIoBrob3bjI
Sub "forest fire" for bomb.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
*www.lds.org
.

"larry moe 'n curly" wrote in ...

But even after a forest fire burned down all the homes
in an area, HOAs have opposed allowing anything but
traditional wood construction, even masonry made to
look exactly like log cabins.

given the new global weather

LOL! I haven't heard one that funny in ages! wipes tears from eyes. You're
too funny!

perhaps all new homes should be built to
fire resistant and super insulated standards?

Fire resistant may be a good idea but the expense isn't justified.
Super-insulation has severe problems, too. Super-insulation isn't of a lot of
use without sealing the house tighter than it should be or adding a *lot* of
expense.