Lesson from the Paradise firestorm: Whole cities can burn down

[dontknowdontcare]

im sorry if this is off topic but in the spirit of the holidays i wanted to share a picture that made me happy

i love movies and directors and movie stars

isnt that nice

[Samm]

@conan

Well for starters brick take time to heat up…once warm it hold the heat. So by clearing brush and deadwood around your house most like nothing will happen to exterior walls… your roof will be the weakest link IMO.

Samm would be a good one to ask because I think he’s a building engineer.

@Samm

now it’s hard to burn drywall, in fact from my understanding drywall puts off steam when heated. Like good guns safes. They are lined with several layers of drywall inside. So with added protection you can put family photos in another fireproof box…can’t remember what it’s called ATM but from my understand it can preserve your negatives.

You are correct … more specifically, particularly if your roofing is fire resistant, the eaves. If the fire gets under the eaves, it provides a place for the flame to penetrate the shell of the building. Many a masonry building with a “fire proof” roof has succumbed because of such an Achilles heel.

Remember that fire some 10-15 years ago in the Oakland hills? Scores of expensive mansions burned up. Many had stucco exteriors and tile roofs, but they also had architectural features that allowed flames to concentrate and bushy landscaping right up to house. One house in the midst of the burned out hulks … a poured concrete house with no trim or protrusions made of combustible material and all of the woody landscaping was well away from the house. If I remember right, it was the house of I.M. Pei, the acclaimed architect.

[Bomberfox]

Or very low humidity areas.

[conan]

Yeah the suffits are usually wood but also bird blocking and ventilation screens vents allow fire to penetrate as well. I’m sure once it gets heated it would draw in the fire because of upper roof vents…almost acting like chimney pulling the fire into interior of roof.

[Samm]

@conan

Yeah the suffits are usually wood but also bird blocking and ventilation screens vents allow fire to penetrate as well. I’m sure once it gets heated it would draw in the fire because of upper roof vents…almost acting like chimney pulling the fire into interior of roof.

Yes, that happens even with metal soffits on vented roofs. Debris in rain gutters is another chink in the armor, and that can burn down a house from blowing embers even though the actual fire is far from the structure.

[Bill.in.PA]

Greece had massive wildfires back in the July. While some homes are burned out, the video of the aftermath shows many intact houses surround by burned vegetation. In contrast the Paradise fire went house to house and left most of the vegetation.

Mati area, Attica, Greece. Aftermath of the 2018-07-23 wildfire with multiple victims

A difference is that Greek houses usually have tile roofs and are built out of concrete, while American houses usually have asphalt shingles and are built out of wood and siding.

[Weedhopper]

Lessons from the Paradise fire.

Never trust a Democrat to manage your forrests or mother nature will do it for you.

[Samm]

@Bill.in.PA

Greece had massive wildfires back in the July. While some homes are burned out, the video of the aftermath shows many intact houses surround by burned vegetation. In contrast the Paradise fire went house to house and left most of the vegetation.

A difference is that Greek houses usually have tile roofs and are built out of concrete, while American houses usually have asphalt shingles and are built out of wood and siding.

On the other hand, in Greece, houses often fall down from earthquakes so small that they might not wake a Californian from a sound sleep.