Prepare for wildfires with resistant structures built from steel

The summer of 2023 has been unusual. Here in British Columbia, we’ve experienced an unusual shortage of rainfall and, like the rest of the country, the dangers of wildfires. Burning trees and the resulting smoke have made prominent headlines across the country, with widespread damage spreading throughout most provinces. 

It’s easy to understand why wildfires have received so much widespread press coverage. The size and scope of the fires is unprecedented. I’ve followed the news closely and one particularly fascinating segment on CBC News’ The National caught my attention. The extended report discussed what several innovative companies are doing to create homes that can withstand wildfire damage to help protect property. According to every person they interview, using steel as a non-combustible building material is an absolutely necessity. Watch the news segment here. 

Of course, it is! Summit Steel Buildings has been building industrial and commercial facilities with cold-formed steel for decades. We’ve been extolling its fire-resistant advantages to everyone we meet. Putting aside how steel prevents fire damage for a moment, not only does it offer a high strength-to-weight ratio that’s ideal for creative architectural design, but it’s also become the affordable building material of choice. Companies considering a new production, storage or agricultural facility benefit from steel and iron commodity prices that have dropped while wood prices have fluctuated upwards over the last few years.

In light of the current wildfire season, the main reason to build with steel, however, is how well it resists high temperature. Steel is a sturdy and reliable fire-rated standard for both structural framing and for walls and roofs (sections that often lead to fire spreading to nearby buildings). It is non-combustible and heat-resistant to temperatures over 530 Celsius (1,000 Fahrenheit) for up to three hours. When the threat of wide-spread fire destruction is a concern, assurance comes from metal ability to better resist higher temperatures than any other traditional material, such as mass timber, brick and mortar or siding.

Read our article: "Steel can help prevent your business from going up in flames".

Background to the 2023 summer wildfire season

What’s become an ongoing, record-setting series of wildfires began back in March 2023. The extent of fires has increased in both prevalence and intensity, reaching a peak in June. The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, Bloomberg and other news agencies have described this year as the worst wildfire season in recorded Canadian and North American history. Fires have covered eleven provinces and territories with the largest fires being in Alberta, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec. As of July 11, 3,895 fires have burned 9,506,770 hectares, and of the 879 active wildfires, 545 have been deemed "out of control".

Smoke emitted from the wildfires has caused air quality alerts and evacuations throughout Canada and the United States. By late June smoke clouds had crossed the Atlantic to reach Europe. The Globe and Mail has summarized the extent of the damage extensively.

Company perspective in B.C. and Ontario

With our headquarters located in Vancouver, out west on the coast, we were fortunate not to be evacuated – others in our region weren’t so lucky. Residents near Tzenzaicut Lake (about 600 kilometres north of Vancouver) were forced to move at the end of May. 

Our team members in Southern Ontario experienced darkened skies due to the smoke. One employee in London noticed a strong smell of smoke even inside his house and followed the clouds as they had moved up Huron Lake to cover Port Elgin and Sauble Beach. We’ve been very fortunate, both as a company and as individuals, to be relatively unaffected by this disaster. We proudly support the courageous men and women from around the globe who are bravely and valiantly battling the flames to protect people, homes and businesses.

We’re here and ready when you need us

Eventually the country will emerge victorious from this disaster and begin to think of rebuilding. After any crisis, it’s crucial to get industry and commerce back up and running as soon as possible. Summit Steel Buildings believes the best way to anticipate and prepare for future fire disasters is to build with resistant pre-engineered metal structures that keep your property and people safe under the most difficult and extreme of situations.

We’d love to speak with you and learn more about how our building solutions can help. Contact Summit Steel Buildings to discuss the protection provided by fire-resistant cold-formed steel buildings.

About the author

Frank Melo has a construction civil engineering technology and business background with over 25 years of experience as a business owner and contractor. He was born and educated in London, Ontario and now divides his time between projects primarily in Ontario and British Columbia. He can be contacted at Summit Steel Buildings at (778) 951-4766 or by email at frank.melo@summitsteelbuildings.com or through LinkedIn.