Camp Fire: Damage Rate of Newer Homes

California & Hawaii Hotlist Questions and Discussion
#1

It seems I saw a news article recently discussing the damages incurred by homes depending on their date of construction. The gist was, units built more recently (ostensibly to more comprehensive codes) generally were substantially more likely to have gotten through the fire with less damage than older homes. As I recall, the news article used 2008 as the break point year. Homes built 2008 or later were more likely to survive than older homes.

Does anyone have more details or perhaps a link to the report?

#2
1 Like
#3

Thank you, that’s the article I was thinking of.

1 Like
#4

I worked a little with a USFS researcher who was looking into this same issue after the Camp Fire. The post-2008 homes fared better than older homes, but still, in Paradise town limits, only something like 35% of the single family homes built with the new codes survived. Not great odds, IMHO.

I haven’t dug deeper into it, but I have a notion one reason so many newer homes burned is because as Paradise has built out, homes have been built on smaller and smaller lots, putting the newer homes closer to the more flammable older buildings. Even with more fire-resistant materials, it’s hard for anything to survive the radiant heat of another building burning 30 or 40 feet away.

I think the new codes, while an improvement, don’t go nearly far enough. In the most fire-prone areas, we need to start digging in more, using more concrete, and thinking about steel shutters or other window coverings that can be deployed quickly during an evacuation.

3 Likes
#5
2 Likes
#6
3 Likes
#7

I recall reading a bit about how some Australians want to build in bushfire country. Thier homesteads get isolated, so they use this ‘bunker and caravan’ strategy, I guess, where they dig the homes halfway down into the ground and use protected vents, smoke filters, concrete, stone and shutters to let the flaming front pass overhead, while the fire service does these caravans to get to them. Interesting construction techniques. Lots of concrete, block and metal. Probably, pretty good for keeping the air conditioning and heating costs down.

Looking at some of the designs, again, I can see where baffled vents can mitigate ember attack, but I’m not sure what you do about the structure filling with smoke. You really want to evacuate, but I’ve seen a lot of ‘shelter in place’ instructions issued during their fires. Thier road system is quite a bit different than California, land of the chrome.

3 Likes