202
After about an hour at 350 that’ll be good with some butter and sour cream
I bet it'll be all warm and mushy inside!
I wonder what that foil is made out of. I'm going to assume aluminum, and I'm going to further assume that whoever did it knows what they're doing and I don't. Because otherwise I can tell you that aluminum foil (and cans, and water bottles, and... other objects) will readily melt in an ordinary camp fire. I have to assume a forest fire will reach similar temperatures. Maybe it's just to keep the embers off, or the fire is expected to sweep through too fast for it to be a problem.
For whatever it's worth I use a stainless steel foil to wrap my knives when I heat treat them and that stuff readily handles the 1875° F or so temperature I do it at. Aluminum definitely would not cut it at those temperatures. Wrapping an entire cabin in that stuff would surely cost a fortune.
So I doubt it's to make it melt proof, but probably to prevent a stray spark from lighting the whole thing. Like wind blows sparks around, and the cabin is probably a lot more of a risk than trees if they're not too dry.
Likely preventative like a water resistant watch, not "submerge in water" proof
Yeah, it's mostly for embers. Also note all nearby brush was cleared and sprinklers setup.
Aluminized structure wrap, and yes it does work.
It doesn't melt until about 2000F, which is about the temp of a forest fire itself. With a bit of gap around (like shown in this picture), temps are going to be decently below that.
I think thermal blankets are usually mylar. I've no idea what temperature mylar fails at, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's lower than that of a full throttle forest fire. I've seen video of that shit in action and it's scary both how fast it moves and how violent the interior is. Hundreds of tons of fuel per acre, all going up at once, it's like an ongoing explosion as the combusting matter crowds itself for space.
I've no idea what temperature mylar fails at, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's lower than that of a full throttle forest fire.
Typically meant for 300F and below. Melts at just a bit below 500F. Forest fires are several times that temp (like 1600F to 2000F).
This isnt mylar though, mentioned elsewhere its called aluminized structure wrap.
Aside from some of the basics I mentioned about it though, I have no direct experience using it. It was discussed in FF training.
My first guess was that the reflective surface would act as a thermal barrier against ambient temperature. If that's just the outer layer it may have some actual insulation built-in too. Considering the use-case it'd be reasonable to engineer for an increased tolerance to some hazard whose benefit compounds alongside other precaution and prep.
i.e. the protective material's melt point only has to be a bit higher than the shielded material's flash point for the product to be effective as-advertised. It won't save the cabin if ambient temp hits ignition or combustion temp but the cost:benefit may still make sense.
Searching for "aluminized structure wrap" provides some results which seem to confirm this.
What was the context of your discussion during firefighting training? Accurate to the marketing copy? Less situationally useful than advertised but still better than nothing? Completely worthless?
Less than marketing, much more than nothing. If you do nothing other than the wrap, there's a chance it'll work out. If you add in appropriate prep, such as removing the brush (remove anything like pine needles from gutters, remove all leaves, etc) for at least 30', then make sure everything around for another 75' is cut low, mow it down. That will really keep the heat down to a safe level for the wrap.
Also smart to keep the home itself in mind. Roofs should be metal, composite, tile, etc but not woof shingle. Gaps should be checked for and sealed so embers dont get in. Chimneys need to be screened, along with any vents (there are FD reviewed vents too, any state with a wildfire issue has recommendations).
Anyway, yeah, they do work, but it pays to be aware of all the ways to protect yourself/your home. It'll definitely improve the chances that temps will stay in a range they can be dealt with.
Which is in and of itself flammable. Truly, a puzzle just what the devil is going on here.
Sparks and embers. And whether it's aluminum, aluminized structure wrapping, insulation, or mylar, it'll reflect the heat away from the side of the cabin for a lot longer than no covering. Toss in sprinklers, and clearing of bushes and other scrub nearby, and I'd say this cabin stands a far better chance of survival than it does without.
It's not going to withstand a 24 hour firestorm directly over it, but I'd rather spend $3k trying to save everything than lose it all because I didn't try.
Agreed, I don't think mylar would cut it either (Sorry, added more to my comment above while you replied I think)
Forest fires can't melt aluminum foil. Do the research.
They should have made those steel beams from this aluminum foil.
Like your said they probably know better but I love the idea of a cabin getting shiny smooth metallic plating after it all melts and affixes to the base.
Layers accumulating over the years....
So this is how you foil a forest fire!
Why don't they just wrap the whole forest instead?!
Because the forest would burn inside the bag and the expand like Jiffy-Pop and then cause significantly more damage from the explosion.
I'll save this cabin for later.
There's also at least one sprinkler keeping it wet.
This probably worked. Likely all that was needed was the sprinklers, but maybe they had the foil already on hand for some reason.
However, if the fire burned down the forest around them, the value of the property would be severely diminished. Years ago, my brother's cabin in California suffered that way. The cabin survived, but the forest was black. No one wants to buy a cabin in a hellscape and it takes many years for the forest to recover even a little.
It also keeps it warm at night.
This seems very expensive to implement.
It doesn't seem more expensive than rebuilding it though. Especially if it is precious to the owner for some reason and is effectively priceless for them
I hope the whores are prettier than the house.
- The one line I never thought I'd get to quote
Where is that from and why is this the first I'm seeing it?
It's from Firefly. The greatest show that Fox ever pissed upon.
I can't believe I don't remember it. I need to rewatch if I'm losing quotes like that!
I was pretty damn mad when it got cancelled out of nowhere
Thankfully I missed that heartbreak. I barely made it through the mess they made of Dollhouse.
Oh man, that show had so much potential to be wasted that hard. I had forgotten about it
Yes, it destroyed me emotionally
Don't you have a cabin in the woods?
Well the woods are gone, so I have a cabin in the ashes now.
If it turns black but doesn't completely burn it should last even longer. Forget what its called but burning the outside of a piece of wood protects it from bugs and rot
Dale Gribble, is that you?
who? no
Rusty Shackleford, is that you?
Happy Passover!
My bet is, as another person mentioned, it's just to try to keep stray sparks off. I think the trees in the left of frame are close enough that, if they catch, that cabin is probably going to be a little well-done.
this post was submitted on 06 Aug 2026
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