Wildfire Risks May Demand Stricter Building Codes

By Ian Madsen, Senior Policy Analyst
Frontier Centre for Public Policy
January 25, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada

The recent devastating and immense wildfires in Southern California that destroyed tens of thousands of structures inspire much sympathy. Soon, thoughts will turn to rebuilding the burned-out homes, businesses and public buildings. This brings up a pertinent question: will the new buildings be as vulnerable to wildfires as the old ones? As in the similarly extensive blazes in Jasper… and West Kelowna, the conventional building materials have included lumber, plywood, oriented strand board, window frames and various plastics, all of which are flammable. …It does not have to be this way –builders have alternatives. Fire-resistant structural wooden beams and posts are available. Builders of so-called ‘mass timber’ high-rise buildings are employing them, including in Canada, but they are not in widespread use. …Thus far, Canadians have shown little appetite, whether at federal, provincial or municipal levels, to mandate costlier higher fire-resistance standards in home building and other construction. 

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