Dixon Trail in Escondido, California, has become the United States’ first wildfire-resilient neighborhood, setting a new standard in community safety. Developed by KB Home, this innovative community features 64 homes designed to withstand wildfires using fire-resistant materials and construction methods. Each home is built to meet the Wildfire Prepared Home™ Plus standard, as developed by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), ensuring protection against direct flame contact, radiant heat, and embers.
The homes in Dixon Trail boast Class A fire-rated roofs, noncombustible gutters, and ember- and flame-resistant vents. The neighborhood’s design includes a five-foot noncombustible buffer around each structure and separates most homes by more than ten feet to reduce fire spread. Privacy fences, which appear to be wood, are actually made of brown-tinted steel, adding another layer of protection.
The development comes amid a home insurance crisis in California, where insurers have increased rates or reduced coverage due to heightened wildfire risks. KB Home’s CEO, Jeffrey Mezger, emphasized the importance of such communities, stating, “With fire becoming an increasingly common threat in the West, it’s crucial to reconsider how we construct communities in fire-prone regions.”
The Dixon Trail community, with prices starting at $1,029,990, opened in October and is already halfway sold. However, it remains unclear if KB Home plans to develop more wildfire-resilient neighborhoods in the near future.
According to CalMatters:
“The closest thing California has to a statewide home hardening campaign at the moment is a $117 million pilot project. The California Wildfire Mitigation Program, run jointly by the California’s Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) and the governor’s Office of Emergency Services, is funding half a dozen neighborhood-wide retrofits in especially fire-prone and economically distressed corners of the state. The program seeks to tackle the problem of fire resilience at a community scale.”
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