California saw its worst and most devastating wildfire in 2018. In the town of Paradise, the Camp Fire claimed the lives of 85 people while destroying close to 20,000 residences and businesses.

Driving by Paradise now, though, reveals indications of a recovery. Like the majority of residents there, Mike Petersen, manager of the Ace Hardware Store that managed to survive the fire, lost his home.

He now feels full of optimism every time he looks out.

“A year ago, these three homes weren’t there,” he recalled. “A lot of people had their doubts about how many people would rebuild. It’s nice to see the progress for sure.”

Petersen is not simply building a regular house. He is creating one that he believes will survive fires in the future. He and his wife are getting ready to move into a modern-looking two-bedroom house.

The biggest attraction though is that it is built to withstand fire.

When asked if he feels less worried about his home now, he responded, “Yes. And my insurance company loves it!”

The “Q Cabin,” short for “Quonset hut,” is being constructed by Design Horizons. It was given that name in honor of Quonset Point, a military base in Rhode Island where the first corrugated metal-roofed structures were built during World War II.

“It’s non-combustible,” the owner Vern Sneed said.

“It’s a product that you can’t really light on fire,” he added.

According to Sneed, a Q Cabin costs roughly the same as a house constructed with conventional 2x4s.

The price is not bad at all, given the safety it provides.

“We would have a non-combustible siding out here,” he explained. “Then, we’ve got our non-combustible heating. Then, we’ve got our non-combustible structure. So, you would have to get through all of these non-combustible layers before you got to the inside.”

Most houses burn in wildfires because embers get caught in the roof shingles or window frames. These access points are not present in the Q Cabin.

This makes it essentially fire-resistant.

According to Sneed, although this is not 100% fire-proof, this build is “as close as you can get” to being one.

Additionally, the town’s proximity to nature contributes to the issue. The Wildland Urban Interface, which includes places like Paradise, is where the outside world and a person’s front door meet.

There are about 50 million houses in such wildfire-prone zones.

“I think non-combustible housing is the future,” Sneed remarked, and we totally agree! Natural catastrophes are occurring more often and climate change is intensifying.

“I think people just let go of their need to control because we all learned that there is no such thing,” Gwen Nordgren, president of Paradise Lutheran Church, pointed out.

The church is also rebuilding, erecting a four-plex Q Cabin.

It will rise on the land of the pastor’s former home, which was destroyed in the fire.

“We’re so excited about it because it’s all gonna be new and beautiful and fire-resistant, which is on most people’s minds,” Nordgren said.

In order to raise money for the church, which lost nearly half of its members as a result of the wildfire, the lodge will be rented to four families. But now that people are returning, Paradise is California’s fastest-growing city.

Paradise indeed is staying strong.

“Nobody who was here gave up. This is Paradise, brother. Nobody gives up. There’s a spirit in this town that was here before the fire, and that’s here now, and it never went away,” he remarked.

Watch the video below to learn more about fire-resistant homes.

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Source: Positive Outlooks, Youtube