Daniel Gorham, a research engineer at the Institute of Building and Home Safety Insurance, looks for clues about how houses survived wildfires. Business and Home Safety Insurance Association hide title bar

Daniel Gorham, a research engineer at the Institute of Building and Home Safety Insurance, looks for clues about how houses survived wildfires.

After this year's record wildfires, there are still thousands of people in the western region clearing piles of charred debris where their homes once stood, hoping to rebuild their lives.

As climate change fuels larger and more destructive wildfires, reconstruction provides an opportunity to create more fire-resistant communities by using building materials that can help houses survive the next fire.

But an analysis by NPR found that most states do not need refractory materials for reconstruction. For more than a decade, California has been enforcing wildfire building codes in high-risk areas, but other states have been working to approve comprehensive reconstruction codes. In Oregon and Colorado, these efforts were strongly opposed by the Association of Home Builders, but ultimately succeeded.

Now, despite the recent fires, most owners in western states do not need to use materials such as fire-resistant roofs or siding when rebuilding, which may slow the spread of wildfires or prevent spontaneous combustion of houses. As a result, current homeowners and thousands of new homeowners who have moved into dangerous areas may become homeless or injured, and the risk of wildfires caused by climate change will continue to rise.

“When the opportunity is there, it really feels like a missed opportunity,” said Daniel Gorham, a research engineer at the Construction and Home Safety Insurance Institute, a non-profit research organization funded by the insurance industry. "We are there, there is a chance to rebuild stronger."

Most houses were set ablaze by wind-blown embers, which means that some houses were not affected, while the house next door was destroyed. Business and Home Safety Insurance Association hide title bar

For people living in wildfires, this is one of the most maddening things: a house was completely burnt down, and the house next door still stands untouched.

In October, fire experts combed a destroyed community in Santa Rosa, California, to find out why. Two weeks ago, driven by strong winds and hot weather, the glass fire swept across at a jaw-dropping speed.

"We use these little clues, the little things we can read," said Gorham, who studies how structures burn. Among the piles of blackened debris, his team looked for surviving houses with burn marks that might provide clues about fire behavior.

The Holy Grail is looking for a trampoline.

"The trampoline is a good thing to understand the size of the embers that land," he said. As long as the trampoline is not damaged, the burned spot on its surface will record what the wind carries. Embers are one of the most effective ways of spreading wildfires. Tiny, glowing cinders can be blown away miles before the fire itself, igniting roofs, trees, or whatever else they land on.

In one home, Gorham could see a piece of ember igniting the covering in the yard, burning all the way to the deck of the house. But the deck is made of refractory material, it is not lit, and the rest of the house is not affected.

"It is very important that we design and build structures to resist ember exposure," Gorham said. "What you do to the roof, what you do in the 5-foot area around the house and below the deck is crucial."

Image source: Business and Home Security Insurance Association

For more than a decade, the State of California has mandated special building codes for new homes built in fire-hazardous areas, called the "Wildland-Urban Interface Code." They stipulate that the roof, siding and windows must be fire-resistant. Even the small aspects of the house are important, such as covering the attic vent with a fine mesh, which prevents embers from being blown into the house.

If rebuilt, almost all destroyed houses in California this year will need to comply with wildfire regulations. The code cannot be guaranteed, because extreme fires can burn any type of structure. But they greatly increase the odds.

"The building codes for these fire-resistant buildings do make a difference," Gorham said. "We know this. We saw this in the laboratory, and we saw it in the field."

But in other Western countries, the adoption of similar regulations has encountered obstacles.

In Oregon, fire chiefs and officials began pushing for wildfire building codes two years ago. The decision fell to the Oregon Housing and Manufacturing Structures Committee, an 11-member committee responsible for reviewing state building codes.

As climate change causes temperatures to rise, Oregon’s normally humid forests and woodlands become drier in summer, preparing for more extreme fires. Fire officials such as Ralph Sartain of Ashland Fire and Rescue believe that it is only a matter of time before Oregon sees the devastating fires that have plagued California.

"We are getting deeper and deeper into the mountains, but we haven't taken any measures to protect the buildings," Satan testified at the board hearing.

Other voices also added support. But the residential construction industry fought back.

"I think this is unnecessary," responded Janet Lewis, chairman of the board and homebuilder. "I think it's time to let Oregonians freely choose where they want to live, and let them take personal responsibility to build their houses to accommodate this choice."

The cost of using fireproof materials has become a core problem. The Oregon Home Builders Association testified that the new regulations will increase home prices by 5%, which may reach tens of thousands of dollars.

These numbers are meaningless to Satan. He has surveyed home builders in Ashland, and they said that for entry-level houses, the added cost is about $1,200 to $1,700. A study by Headwaters Economics found that fireproof houses are cheaper than traditional houses, thanks in large part to the use of more affordable fiber cement siding.

Homebuilders also question these codes because they only apply to new houses, not to existing houses, because old houses may still make communities vulnerable. Fire officials responded that even a few fire-resistant structures can buy more time for firefighters.

"If we start with one house at a time, then we will have two houses, then three, then 20, and then 50," Sartain said. "It may be able to slow the fire down enough to bring resources into an area to prevent it from destroying the entire community."

Finally, Oregon’s wildfire building codes were approved, but they are optional. Cities and counties can choose whether to adopt them, and whether to apply them to individual households or only to larger segments.

"It was very difficult and very frustrating," Sartain said. "We would love to see it adopted statewide, but we are almost unable to voluntarily apply it through it in cities or counties. House builders will not allow it in any way, shape or form to be based on statewide. "

After the devastating wildfire this year, the Oregon Home Builders Association stated that if the state completes a detailed fire risk map based on fire risk (which does not currently exist), it will support statewide wildfire building codes.

A statewide Wildfire Commission recommended in a 2019 special report to develop wildfire risk maps and support wildfire building codes, which stated that the "inconsistent and sometimes missing pieces of roles" of the codes constitute a significant risk, especially as The development of new development projects in wasteland areas. Earlier this year, legislation to create a statewide map failed.

"Personally, this is not the view of the association, this is my view: I think if you are going to build a house in a wooded forest area, if I build a house there, I will take measures to protect the home," Oregon Justin Wood of the Home Builders Association said.

So far, only Medford has adopted new wildfire regulations. The City of Ashland and Deschutes County are currently considering adoptions. If they choose to rebuild, none of the more than 5,400 buildings destroyed in Oregon this year need to meet wildfire regulations.

The late-season wildfires in Colorado spread unexpectedly and quickly, just like the wildfires outside Granby. The dry and hot weather prolonged the fire season. Jesse Ehrenberg/Associated Press hide caption

The late-season wildfires in Colorado spread unexpectedly and quickly, just like the wildfires outside Granby. The dry and hot weather prolonged the fire season.

A similar story happened in Colorado.

In 2013, after experiencing two devastating fires, Governor John Hickenlooper convened a working group to review Colorado's fire policy. The team includes fire officials and representatives from the construction and real estate industries.

In their final report, the working group found that using fireproof materials is one of the most effective measures that owners can take. They recommend adopting a statewide model wildfire building code, either enforce it in high-risk areas, or create something that local governments can mandate.

The report noted that counties that have adopted wildfire regulations have seen encouraging results. In the Fourmile Canyon fire in 2010, Boulder County found that 100% of the houses built in the previous ten years had survived. They have completed a county-level plan that requires fire-resistant building materials and minimizes flammable vegetation. Of the old houses that did not complete the plan, only 63% survived.

Nevertheless, seven years later, Colorado does not yet have a statewide wildfire building code.

"Not much has happened," said Lisa Dale, who served on the Wildfire Task Force while working for the state government in 2013 and is currently a lecturer at Columbia University. "We found that the construction and real estate industries have very strong lobbying capabilities to oppose state regulation on this issue."

The homebuilder group believes that local governments should determine their own specifications and rely on outreach to educate homeowners about wildfire preparations.

"I think we question the validity of the statewide [wasteland-urban interface] code because we support local codes," said Ted Leighty, CEO of the Colorado Home Builders Association. "We believe, and still believe, that regulations are best formulated, implemented, and enforced by local governments. Every place has unique problems, circumstances, and geography."

Today, at least 16 counties and cities in Colorado have adopted wildfire building codes, although some are limited and only specify roofing materials. Some counties provide property inspections to help homeowners understand how vulnerable they may be.

But other cities and counties have postponed, and Dell said this shows that local governments are not motivated to adopt strict regulations.

"We know that local governments in Colorado and throughout the western United States have historically been very reluctant to take positive action on this issue," Dell said. "Because please remember that most of the income of local governments comes from property taxes. They rely on a business-friendly environment to welcome new residents and new businesses into their borders."

Fire Chief Christiana Rainbow Plews is sitting in the rubble of her home, who was destroyed by a wildfire on the holiday farm in September. Brittany Bayer hide caption

Without mandatory guidelines for building fire-resistant homes, more than 6,000 owners in Oregon and Colorado will decide for themselves how to rebuild after one of the worst years of wildfires experienced in these two states.

Many people are still in temporary housing waiting for the long process of cleaning up debris and negotiating with insurance companies. Therefore, when their basic needs are not met, building fire-resistant houses is not necessarily the primary consideration.

"This is too bad, morale is low," said fire chief Christiana Rainbowpluth of the Upper Mackenzie Rural Fire District in central Oregon. "Everywhere I can hear how slow and frustrating this process is."

In September, Plews and her crew responded to what they considered a standard bush fire. But after weeks of hot weather and strong winds, the situation quickly got out of control, leaving some residents only a few minutes to evacuate. The holiday farm fire eventually destroyed more than 400 houses, including her own.

"I actually didn't know that my own house had been burned down for a few days," she said. "I did go through all the emotions. I was very depressed and it was difficult to tell my family."

Fire Chief Christiana Rainbow Plews plans to use refractory materials in the reconstruction, but she doesn't need to do this when she lives in Oregon. Christiana Rainbow Pews hide caption

Fire Chief Christiana Rainbow Plews plans to use refractory materials in the reconstruction, but she doesn't need to do this when she lives in Oregon.

Chief Pluth said that she and her husband have only just begun to think about the reconstruction process and what materials they will use at home. But for many others in her community, the situation is more difficult.

"If they are underinsured or not insured, what they can afford may not be what they really want," she said. "They may have to accept something that is not so fireproof."

Hundreds of people are still living in hotels, and they can't even find temporary accommodation. Plews said that the biggest concern of many people is to rebuild as soon as possible, not how they will build their houses.

Due to the emotional and financial pressures of the reconstruction process, the best time to prepare for future climate-driven fires is often the most difficult time.