For many reasons, the American dream is no longer just about owning a house with a white picket fence. Cost is a significant factor, but in many parts of the country, families worry about their homes withstanding extreme weather. In other words, wildfire-proof homes should be the new American dream. Fireproofing homes is one relatively low-cost solution to hold onto the American dream. 

Every summer, Americans experience wildfires tearing through their towns, forcing people to evacuate, and destroying homes, communities, and livelihoods in minutes. It’s heartbreaking and all too familiar. With a backlog of American forests needing fuel treatment and climate change making wildfire seasons longer, the risk and potential costs remain severe. 

The risk of losing homes is growing every year for many people living in fire-prone areas. Places like California, Oregon, Colorado, and even parts of Texas are constantly threatened. It is common sense to treat forests with prescribed burns and thinning to reduce wildfire intensity and severity. Policies like the Fix Our Forests Act will make it easier to perform these actions and deploy innovative technologies to detect and treat the most at-risk areas. However, wildfires will likely always be a risk that communities must face. 

Traditional building materials like wood shingles, untreated siding, or even certain types of insulation easily catch fire. Homes built close together can act like dominoes: once one catches fire, the rest often follow suit.

But there is hope. Across the country, builders, scientists, and designers are working on ways to make homes more fire-resistant, and some of these innovations are already in use. For example, in California, the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection is helping test new building designs that create a “defensible space” around homes– buffer zones with little fire-prone fuel. Beyond landscaping and location, the materials we use to build houses are beginning to change in exciting ways.

>>> READ: What is “Fire Culture”,  Why it’s Coming For City Folks, and What Can We Do About It 

Some of the most promising innovations are in construction materials. A new type of wood called “mass timber” is used more often in buildings. Unlike regular lumber, mass timber is made by gluing together layers of wood, making it denser and more fire-resistant. It burns more slowly and predictably than regular wood, which gives firefighters a better chance to save structures and gives residents more time to escape.

The benefits of these materials go beyond fire safety. These new materials are also helping make homes stronger against other extreme weather, like storms and heat waves. For example, mass timber isn’t just fire-resistant; it’s also powerful and energy-efficient. New roofing materials reflect heat better, helping homes stay cooler during heat waves. Airtight construction paired with better insulation means people can rely less on air conditioning, which helps reduce overall emissions.

Other materials are changing, too. There’s now fire-resistant insulation made from mineral wool, which doesn’t melt or ignite like traditional foam insulation. Fireproof concrete panels are also used in home exteriors instead of wood siding. Some windows are now designed with tempered glass and metal frames that can handle extreme heat without shattering. Even vents are being redesigned to block out flying embers, which often cause homes to ignite. These changes can also prevent harmful air pollution from wildfires from entering homes and businesses. 

>>> READ: USDA Weighs In on the Fix Our Forests Act

Importantly, these innovations can be affordable. Nonprofits, housing organizations, and even some local governments are starting to test these materials in affordable housing developments. The goal is to make wildfire-resilient homes available for everyone, not just the wealthy. Because, after all, lower-income communities are often hit hardest when disaster strikes.

The good news is that wildfire-proofing a home doesn’t always require starting from scratch. There are retrofitting options too. Homeowners can replace their roofs with fire-rated shingles, install ember-resistant vents, and upgrade their windows without tearing the house down. These changes can significantly affect whether a home survives a fire.

We can’t stop wildfires from happening, but we can be more thoughtful about building our homes and protecting the people who live in them. Making wildfire-proof homes part of the American dream isn’t just a nice idea; it’s a necessary one. If we act now, we can prevent the next wildfire from becoming the next national tragedy.

The views and opinions expressed are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of C3.