Oregon - In less than an hour, a model home in Salem was reduced to ashes by fire on Wednesday, while the one next door saw minimal damage. The difference? The surviving home was built to the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)’s
Wildfire Prepared Home standard using defensible space best practices and non-flammable materials. During the live demonstration, hosted by the Oregon State Fire Marshal, IBHS showed the research-based actions Oregonians can take to better protect their homes and properties.This event comes at a critical moment. Fire season is here and projected to be above average for the entire state. It follows on the heels of the historic season last summer. From 2020 to 2024, wildfire seasons have grown increasingly complex with larger and more frequent fires moving farther north and west into communities not historically affected. Last year alone, Oregon saw a record-breaking 1.9 million acres burned.
“Wildfire is no longer a rural issue or something that affects just one region of the state; it’s a growing threat for all Oregonians,” State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said. “Today’s demonstration makes that reality personal. Seeing the way bark mulch, shrubs and building materials burn helps people connect the dots between small, affordable changes and real protection.”
According to IBHS, embers are the leading cause of home ignition from wildfires.
“Research should guide us in finding effective solutions,” IBHS CEO Roy Wright said. “We know that maintaining a five-foot noncombustible zone around your home helps to ensure embers landing in that area just fizzle out. Fortunately, you don’t have to compromise curb appeal at the expense of safety – there are smart, attractive ways to have both.”
Oregon homeowners now have the opportunity to earn IBHS’s Wildfire Prepared Home designation, based on the latest wildfire research, after they follow the standard’s system of actions addressing the three most vulnerable areas of a home, including having a Class A roof, installing exterior features such as ember-resistant vents, and maintaining a noncombustible 0–5-foot zone.
“The good news is that most homes in Oregon already have a Class A roof,” Wright said. “The other actions can be low-cost and often done as DIY projects. And perhaps the best part – the actions that make a home survivable also make it insurable.”
The work of IBHS aligns closely with the efforts to ensure the availability and affordability of insurance across Oregon. The Division of Financial Regulation, the state’s insurance regulator, has collaborated with the Oregon State Fire Marshal and IBHS to examine approaches to wildfire-related challenges over multiple wildfire seasons. “It is exciting to see the next evolution of our work with IBHS begin, and through this event remind people of the steps they can take now to protect lives and property,” said TK Keen, Oregon’s acting insurance commissioner. “The IBHS work will allow us to follow the science in mitigation and fire resistance, which is instructive to carriers in setting property insurance rates.”
Why did one home survive, and the other did not?
The house that burned:
- Bark mulch in the 0–5-foot zone created easily ignitable fuel right next to the house, allowing embers to quickly start a fire at the foundation.
- Plants growing against the house provided continuous, flammable material that allowed fire to spread rapidly to the structure.
- A wood pile stacked against the house acted as a direct ignition source, fueling flames that could easily reach siding and windows.
- Leaves and debris collected in gutters and on the roof caught embers and ignited, spreading fire along the roofline and into the home.
- Untreated cedar planks, plastic/vinyl gutters, and open eaves were highly combustible and allowed embers to enter and ignite the home.
The house that survived:
- Cement pavers in place of bark mulch in the 0–5-foot zone eliminated easily ignitable fuel near the home’s foundation, preventing ember-driven fires from taking hold.
- Plants were spaced away from the house, reducing continuous fuel and slowing fire spread near the structure.
- Wood piles were kept far away from the house, removing a direct source of ignition that could carry flames to the home.
- Gutters and roofs were clear of leaves and debris, minimizing places for embers to ignite and spread fire.
- The home was built with fire-resistive siding, aluminum gutters and vent mesh screens, which prevented embers from igniting the structure and blocked fire entry points like open eaves.
Creating defensible space and hardening your home doesn’t have to be overwhelming or expensive. Simple steps can make a big difference. To learn how to get started, including how to schedule a defensible space assessment, visit oregondefensiblespace.org. To learn more about Wildfire Prepared Home, including how to earn a designation, visit wildfireprepared.org.
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