KarunaNews Story

Homebuilder KB Home has launched the first “wildfire-resilient” housing development in California, becoming the first large production builder in the US to implement wildfire-resilient standards across an entire subdivision. Located in Escondido, just outside San Diego, the 64-home development fully aligns with the standards created by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety, a nonprofit backed by property insurers, that target flying embers, radiant heat, and direct flame contact. Six-inch vertical clearances, achieved with concrete foundations, stucco, and stone, help keep flames from reaching combustible parts of the house, and each unit is at least 10 feet apart to reduce the risk of flames jumping from one structure to another. Steve Ruffner, regional general manager of KB Home’s coastal division, said the idea emerged at the Pacific Coast Builders Conference last summer. With many insurers retreating from California markets, homeowners are facing skyrocketing premiums or losing coverage entirely. Fire-resilient construction can help reverse that trend.