Can These New Homes Survive an Alien Invasion... I Mean, Wildfire?!

Another Day Another Apocalypse... Almost

Alright people listen up. Ripley here. Seems like this planet's always got something trying to kill you. Xenomorphs power hungry corporations and now… wildfires? Just when I thought I'd seen it all. Apparently some company called KB Home is building a 'wildfire resilient' community in California. Makes you wonder what they know that we don't right? Maybe they're expecting a full scale bug hunt out there.

Building a Fortress One Stucco Wall at a Time

So these houses are supposed to be tough. Covered gutters non combustible siding tempered glass windows… sounds more like a spaceship than a suburban home. They’ve even got 'defensible space' with low combustible vegetation. Makes sense. You gotta have a perimeter people. Just like Hadley's Hope but hopefully with fewer facehuggers lurking in the shrubbery. Six inch vertical clearance using the concrete foundation stucco and stone huh? Let's hope that's enough space for the flames to spread. Better than nothing I suppose. As Bishop would say 'Not bad for a human'. Although if he was here I'd probably make him go check it out first.

The Price of Not Being Crispy Critters

Of course all this fancy fireproofing comes at a cost. We're talking millions of dollars. Apparently they're aiming for the 'move up' market. Translation: if you're poor you're probably gonna burn. Steve Ruffner from KB Home says they're trying to bring the costs down but let's be honest safety never comes cheap. Remember the *Nostromo*? Cutting corners always ends in disaster.

The Insurance Scam

Here's the kicker: insurance companies are pulling out of California faster than I can say 'Get away from her you B****!'. Roy Wright from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety is talking about making homes 'insurable'. So it's not just about surviving the fire it's about lining the pockets of those corporate vultures. Sounds familiar. Weyland Yutani would be proud.

Nothing's Fireproof. Or Xenomorph Proof.

Wright admits that nothing is 'fireproof'. Well duh. I've learned the hard way that nothing is *xenomorph* proof either. But they're trying to 'narrow those paths of destruction'. Fair enough. We can't control everything but we can try to be prepared. Still I wouldn't want to be the first family to move in. It's always the pioneers who get the arrows or in this case the embers.

Hope and a Whole Lotta Fire Extinguishers

So there you have it. Fire resistant homes in California. A step in the right direction? Maybe. A foolproof plan? Definitely not. But hey at least they're trying. Just remember folks stay vigilant keep your extinguishers handy and if you see anything that looks like it's about to hatch nuke it from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.