File-In this file photo of September 2, 2021, behind a property that was destroyed by the Kaldor Fire in Shuangqiao, California, there is a hut partially covered with refractory materials. As wildfires burn, aluminum packaging designed to protect houses from the flames has attracted attention in California. In a fire near Lake Tahoe, some wrapped houses survived, while nearby houses were destroyed. This material is similar to the tin foil in a kitchen drawer, but it mimics the tent-like shelter that a field firefighter uses as a last resort to protect himself when trapped in flames. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, file)

Reno, Nevada (Associated Press)-Martin Diky said that he panicked when a huge wildfire began to spread along the slope towards his wooden house near Lake Tahoe.

The contractor had enough time to do some quick research and decided to wrap his mountain house with an aluminum protective layer. This material that can withstand high temperatures for a short period of time is similar to the tin foil in a kitchen drawer, but it is a tent-like shelter that imitates a field firefighter as a last resort when trapped in flames.

Diky, who lives most of the time in the San Francisco Bay Area, bought $6,000 worth of wrapping paper from Firezat Inc. in San Diego, enough to cover his second home at 1,400 square feet (130 square meters) on the edge of the San Francisco Bay Area. Meyers’ small California community.

"It's quite expensive, and if they put out the fire before it approaches, you will feel stupid," he said. "But I'm really glad we did. When the flame came down the slope, it was very nerve-racking."

The flexible aluminum panels that Diky attached to his $700,000 house were not widely used because they were expensive and difficult to install, although they saved some property, including the historic cottages managed by the US government.

This week, firefighters even wrapped the bottom of the world's largest tree to protect it from wildfires near the famous giant ancient redwood forest in California's Sequoia National Park. The huge General Sherman tree, some other redwoods in the huge forest, a museum and other buildings may also be enveloped by intense flames.

Previously, another aluminum house near Lake Tahoe survived the Caldo Fire, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) west of Dickie’s home, while the neighboring house was destroyed.

The wrapper transfers heat away from the building and helps prevent the burning of flammable materials. It also prevents embers in the air, the main factor in the spread of wildfires, from slipping through vents and other openings. Using a fiberglass backing and acrylic adhesive, the packaging can withstand up to 1,022 degrees Fahrenheit (550 degrees Celsius) heat.

Until about a decade ago, most of the wildfire damage was attributed to house fires because the flames burned nearby vegetation. Recent studies have shown that a larger effect is structure-to-structure fires. The huge heat causes the manufacturing materials to catch fire. This kind of fire spreads with a domino effect.

Approximately 95% of the company's sales for Diky's packages come from the U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service. Dan Hirning, the founding president of Firezat Inc., estimates that this year alone, the Forestry Bureau has wrapped 600 to 700 buildings, bridges, communication towers and other structures in the national forest.

Firefighters on social media likened the package to a "big baked potato." A person who helped install something said that he felt like he was "wrapping Christmas gifts."

Forest Service officials say they have been using such wraps to protect sensitive structures in the western United States for many years. The organization’s battalion chief Phil Heitzke said that in Lake Tahoe, they have wrapped the Angola Ridge Watchtower, which is a nationally registered fire watchtower with a long history.

He said in a statement: “Many times, the structure of the Forest Service is well wrapped before the fire.” Staff can usually focus on protecting other buildings or other tasks.

Firezat sells fire shutters that are 5 feet (1.5 meters) wide and 200 feet (61 meters) long for approximately US$700 per roll. Contractor installations usually cost thousands of dollars.

"People think we should sell a lot of these things, but not as many as everyone thinks," Henning said. Despite the high cost, he said that unless the fire falls directly on the building, the building will not burn.

A mechanical engineering professor at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio published 10 years of research on protective packaging in Frontiers of Mechanical Engineering in 2019, saying that they "demonstrate superior performance and technical limitations."

Fumiaki Takahashi said that the aluminum-plated surface can block up to 92% of convective heat and up to 96% of radiation.

He said that if the wildfire burns in less than 10 minutes of exposure, then the package is the most effective. It is less effective in high-density housing areas, where the spreading hell can burn for hours without being stopped by firefighters.

Takahashi said in an email that these packages "show effective prospects, but further research is needed to develop more effective but still lightweight" serious fire protection measures. He said he would not recommend them to everyone because they need to be installed correctly.

"But once an installation method (such as a standard) is established, I will," he wrote. "The U.S. Forest Service has many successful cases of saving historical huts."

Henning said that most of the individual buyers he has contacted over the years wanted to protect "very expensive cottages, very expensive houses, resorts, etc.". They include homeowners who own $5 million in land in Malibu, California. They are required to sign an agreement under which the Forest Service is not responsible for protecting their property.

A rancher in Wyoming once asked Hirning to conduct a conference call with a fire commander and insurance adjuster. If he packs a cabin worth about $1.5 million, he will lower his rate.

"Usually people cannot get fire insurance, or their insurance is cancelled. They want to wrap it in this way to protect their investment," he said.

Diky recommends getting additional help to complete the packaging.

"They suggested that three people can do it in 3.5 hours. I took four contractors and worked late into the night... and broke our ass for 12.5 hours," he said.

In terms of sales growth caused by the recent wildfires, Henning emphasized that this is "a very timely business."

"For the first five years, new competitors appeared every year. At the end of each year, I received a call: "Are you interested in buying our inventory? "He said.

Once it started to rain and snow, he said that he often did not sell anything for nine consecutive months. However, this situation may change because climate change will cause more severe weather and a more destructive almost year-round wildfire season.

Copyright © Associated Press. all rights reserved. Do not publish, broadcast, rewrite or redistribute this material.