Fire resistant siding contributed to helping protect this home from extreme weather

Choosing noncombustible materials for your next building or remodeling project can have a huge impact. Even for older buildings that may have been passed down through generations, updating these beloved structures with siding that resists damage from fire should be a top priority for most homeowners — particularly with the total area affected by wildfire increasing since the 1980s.

After felled powerlines started a brush fire, one impacted homeowner credits Hardie's noncombustible siding on his family cottage as being a factor in helping to save the structure from a fire that could have been catastrophic.

A FELLED TREE STARTS A POTENTIALLY DEVASTATING FIRE

In the spring of 2024, cottage owner Blair Payne was at home in Mississauga, Ontario, when his phone rang. On the other end of the line was a neighbor who lived next door to his family cottage, located more than 120 miles away in Muskoka, a popular regional cottaging destination.

A large storm had recently hit the area, and a direct lightning strike had knocked out a massive old tree located on Payne’s property. The tree fell heavily on the powerlines of Payne’s cottage, starting a bush fire.

“My driveway was just obliterated, literally, by this massive tree, which meant you couldn’t walk up my driveway to get to the building itself,” explained Payne. “So, they had to walk through the woods and go around to see if everything was okay.”

Once the neighbors reached the cottage, they saw smoke and ash billowing from the structure. They quickly called the fire department.

THE CHALLENGES OF FIREFIGHTING IN RURAL AREAS

One of the benefits of cottaging in Muskoka is the remote beauty of Ontario’s many scenic lakes, rivers and provincial parks. Unfortunately, the distance from population centers means that the response time for cottage fires can be 30 minutes or more, depending on the location and how hard it is to navigate the roads.

“Fire is always such a huge worry in cottage country because you don’t have a hydrant within 200 feet of your home,” says Payne. “You also don't have a response time within, you know, five, six or seven minutes. It's not an urban environment; you’re very rural.”

These long response times and the lack of nearby hydrants mean that fires in cottage country can be highly destructive, not only to homeowners but also to the local environment and wildlife. Building durable structures that are resistant to fire plays a central role in protecting not just the cottages themselves but also the beautiful scenery and wildlife that make their home in this area.

FIGHTING THE FIRE AT THE PAYNE COTTAGE

In Payne’s case, it took the local volunteer fire department more than 30 minutes to reach his cottage after his neighbor placed the call. The first thing the firefighters had to tackle was the brush fire started by the fallen tree, which was blocking access to the cottage itself. Once that was under control, the firefighters could negotiate the tree to access the cottage, which was still smoldering.

By this point, Payne’s neighbor had put him on the phone with the fire chief supervising the scene. Using a spare key, she went inside to check the interior of the cottage.

“She jumped into the building, went downstairs, checked everything out, and nothing was hot, everything was good,” Payne said. “She came back out and was explaining to me what it looked like from the outside. My telephone box had been melted and destroyed, and so was the dispatch [box] hooked up to our meter, but it didn’t look like anything had burned through.”

THE IMPORTANCE OF NONCOMBUSTIBLE HARDIE^® SIDING ON RESILIENT BUILDINGS

Blair Payne’s choice to use Hardie^® siding when he was building the cottage ended up paying massive dividends, potentially playing a role in saving his property from more than $750,000 in damage. “When I had my builder build the cottage, he was the one to recommend it to me,” Payne explained. “We readily agreed once we understood its properties.”

Clearly, his fire preparedness, of which choosing fire resistant siding was just one element, paid off, safeguarding not only the interior itself but the precious memories and possessions within.

Hardie^® siding has been used on more than 10 million** homes across North America, and its fiber cement construction offers durability and additional protection against damage from everything from water and fire to pests and weather. For homeowners like Payne, who are building in a rural area where fire services regularly take a half hour or more to arrive even in an emergency, the choice is obvious.

“In my mind, you got to make sure you can construct as safely as possible,” Payne emphasized. “And really, just for the safety of my family, if I knew there was something out there, why would I use something cheaper? Obviously, there’s some premium [for Hardie^® fiber cement siding], but this is a great demonstration that this is worth the additional expense.”

STAND UP TO THE ELEMENTS WITH HARDIE^® FIBER CEMENT SIDING

Unlike other building materials like engineered wood, cedar or vinyl, Hardie^® fiber cement products will not ignite when exposed to direct flame. When you choose Hardie^® fiber cement products to clad your home, you’re making an investment in protecting your future.

Read more about Hardie’s fire-resistant siding and how Hardie^® products are specifically engineered to resist damage from moisture and rot, whether your home is hit with rain or snow. They also offer little appeal to pests and won’t be eaten by termites, unlike wood siding, which is susceptible to damage from critters.

If you’re ready to start your re-side journey with a professional, Request a Siding Quote so we can connect you with skilled local contractors. The James Hardie Contractor Alliance™ Program connects homeowners with contractors nationwide whom you can trust are both licensed and insured.

To learn more about protecting your home from natural hazards, visit ibhs.org, fire.ca.gov/prepare, CalFire, or download the “Designing for Natural Hazards Series” publication from huduser.gov."

*Hardie^® siding complies with ASTM E136 as a noncombustible cladding and is recognized by fire departments across the U.S. including Marietta, GA, Flagstaff, AZ and Orange County, CA. Fiber cement fire resistance does not extend to applied paints or coatings, which may be damaged or char when exposed to flames.

***Estimate based on James Hardie North American siding sales and average housing unit size.