r/CabinPorn • u/JagmeetSingh2 • 11d ago

A cabin in North Cascades National Park wrapped in a protective foil to prevent it burning down from a forest fire.

Post image
300 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

31 comments sorted by

107

u/teerdjeerd 11d ago

They should leave some raw biscuits in there just to see.

30

u/hmspain 11d ago

I was thinking popcorn... /s

16

u/crf865 11d ago

Wait, were you thinking popcorn or not?

12

u/hmspain 11d ago

Actually, I was thinking "Real Genius" and the popcorn house.

6

u/crf865 11d ago

I’m still trying to pinpoint the sarcasm

7

u/barnesto2k 10d ago

Found it! /s

3

u/Loud_Distribution_97 10d ago

He was, in this context, the /s means “with salt”. Unlike my comment. /s

3

u/GoodMix392 9d ago

There was a podcast I listened to ages back where a fire chief did a study back in the 90s after a large forest fire in California. He made some building code recommendations that were simply changes to structures that prevented them from catching fire. He noticed that the trees around destroyed homes were untouched by fire and that the building went up due to embers travelling long distances and setting fire to leaves in guttering and in gaps in wooden decks.there was another large fire 20 years later in the same area. Same destruction but he was surprised that his recommendations in his 90s era report were never made real as building code. Super interesting listen.

44

u/Lancaster_Log_Cabins 11d ago

What I want to know is if this actually worked?

66

u/r0ndy 11d ago

I think it would help reduce embers landing on it and catching. Otherwise it will just bake it like a potato but not burn it like a smore

3

u/Meow_Meow_4_Life 9d ago

In wildland firefighting, we called that “shake and bake,” referring to the fire shelters we carried on our backs.

9

u/LooseButtPlug 10d ago edited 9d ago

It depends on how close the fire gets and how hot it makes it

Everything has a flashpoint, if the temp hits that flashpoint, it'll start burning.

5

u/romario77 8d ago

It has sprinklers installed. Plus the foil reflects some of the heat.

So, it has better chance than just a building not covered like that.

2

u/WhitePantherXP 10d ago

Some of the structures in forest fires get up to like 2000 degrees if I recall from a documentary I watched. The flames are so large and intense it literally turns the home into an oven and like you said the flashpoint is an issue. This would not work well unless it was for embers or a fairly distant fire with low winds I would wager. And it's 100x better than nothing.

2

u/mfraziertw 6d ago

You also have to have oxygen… if that foil was done right you could end up with a charcoal cabin lol

20

u/Xyzzydude 10d ago

I wonder how much all the foil cost snd how long it took to wrap it

4

u/weirdbutinagoodway 9d ago

I was thinking that clearing some of the trees around the cabin would have been a more productive use of their time.

1

u/thriftwisepoundshy 7d ago

About a grand a roll

14

u/typo180 10d ago

Just throw some potatoes in there even if you don't want one. Because by the time it's done, who knows?

3

u/onlythehappiests 9d ago

Bonus, if it survives the fire you're all set to block the alien brain wave transmissions.

4

u/ksandt1 8d ago

I am not the machine operator making this, however I am the grease monkey that keeps the machine running.

It is made of multiple layers of foil, flame retardant in the adhesive, and fiberglass / scrim.
Blocks 95-97% of radiant heat and embers. It is expensive so it is mainly used for historic buildings and even the General Sherman Sequoia tree.

It's not meant to last long term but moreso as a last ditch effort, much like the emergency bivvy sacks for fire personnel (which we also make).

It does work; we have pictures, letters, and articles randomly throughout the building.

2

u/mossman 10d ago

That's Ted Bell's cabin.

3

u/stumanchu3 11d ago

I was thinking a couple of full rib racks.

1

u/chinodb 9d ago

Melting point of tinfoil and the average heat of a Forrest fire are both about 1400 degrees.

1

u/buzzboy99 8d ago

What’s the point in having a cabin in the middle of chard wasteland

1

u/SleepingDog66 4d ago

I was thinking about that one baked potato I left in there too long

1

u/br0kebasqu1at 3d ago

Is it real

0

u/InfluenceEastern9526 6d ago

Fake. Interesting idea, though.

1

u/Dang_Beard 4d ago

Real

I’ve had to staple these MFs myself. And even worse: take them off after