Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, Ore. – Wildland firefighters work hard to keep flames as far from structures as possible, but what happens when the fire gets too close?
Firefighters have many options, including removing fuel from around any structures and using sprinklers to wet the area.
As a last resort for at least on structure threatened by a wildfire burning near Crater Lake, firefighters wrapped a cabin in what appears to be aluminum foil.
But the material is actually a heat shield, similar to portable fire shelters crews can use in an emergency for personal safety.
While the building wrap is thicker, it works the same way–by protecting the structure from radiant heat and burning embers.
When the fire gets close, the fire-resistant wrap can be a structure’s last line of defense.
That’s why when a snow shelter near the Blanket Creek Fire was threatened, it was wrapped.
The Blanket Fire is part of the High Cascades Complex, a series of 20 fires burning in Crater Lake National Park.
Fires within the complex are estimated to have burned 52,255 acres as of September 6.
You can learn more about the art of wrapping here: http://bit.ly/2gHgL1x
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