Two small mock homes stood outside the West Metro Fire Rescue Training Center in Lakewood on Thursday. Firefighters intentionally lit the mulch and surrounding plants on fire in front of both of them, but only one home went up in flames.
That home, constructed with normal building materials, was quickly fully engulfed in large flames with smoke and soot flying everywhere. It had a wood fence, spare firewood up against the side of the house, and evergreens on either side.
The other home, however, was essentially untouched. It was designed with wildfire in mind – plants are five feet away, and it used multi-paned glass and a metal fence.
The gathering of local and state fire leaders aimed to show what happens when a home is built with wildfire-conscious materials. More Colorado homeowners and builders are considering these changes as wildfires become more intense.
“The fire problem in reality has changed from a natural resource problem to a public safety crisis,” Mike Morgan, the director of Colorado’s Division of Fire Prevention and Control, said. “We’re destroying communities. We have to look at this differently and through a different lens if we’re going to be successful in this.”…