by Ar. Sakshi Agiwal | Modular Pre-fabricated Homes, Wooden Homes | 17 March, 2025
Planning to build a wooden house in Mumbai? Let us guess why you want to do it.
You want to live a peaceful, noise-free, and pleasant lifestyle, devoid of the challenges you would otherwise deal with while living in a conventional home in Mumbai.
While endeavoring to build a wooden home, you must have already envisioned living amidst the wood’s rustic charm, cozy cabins, and its natural warmth.
But wait! Before you dream further, have you thought about fire safety? Will your wooden abode be safe from fire? What if it catches fire someday?
If never before, hundreds of such questions might now have occurred to you at a glance!
So, is a wooden home safe from fire? As a wooden house manufacturer in India, we feel it is critical to address this concern. Let’s do it in this blog.
Wood and Its Relation with Fire
Let’s be straight. Wood is combustible.
However, it can exhibit fire-resistant properties under certain conditions.
Its fire performance depends upon its density, size, treatment, and also the way it burns.
Thus, in wooden homes, the property of the construction material and design decelerates the spread of fire, limiting structural damage and giving people enough time to evacuate.
The behavior of wood in a fire is usually more predictable and manageable than other materials.
Wood, Fire, and Science
Wood burns. However, it does so in a controlled way. When you expose wood to fire, it forms a protective layer of char that slows down the burning process.
The char layer works as an insulator, inhibiting the structural penetration of heat.
As for science, here’s what you should know.
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Slow Burning Rate:
Steel can weaken rapidly under intense heat. However, thick wooden beams can retain structural integrity for a longer duration. -
Fire Resistance Treatment:
A reputed wooden house manufacturer in India like Vrisa Homes uses fire-retardant-treated wood (FRTW), chemically treated to reduce the pace of combustion and stay strong for a longer time. -
Predictable Charring:
Wood burns in a consistent pattern. Hence, it is easier for manufacturers and engineers to design homes with fire safety measures. They can calculate the duration for which a timber will stay structurally sound during fire. -
Predictable Failure:
During instances of failure, wood issues clear warnings like audible cracking and visible deformation. That’s not the case with steel.
Is Living in a Wooden Home Safe from the Fire Perspective?
To determine the answer, we must understand the equation of wood and fire better.
Moisture plays a crucial role in wood’s fire safety. Wood absorbs moisture from its surroundings and releases it into the environment. Thus, wood never stays fully dry. This distinct property of wood proves to be advantageous from the viewpoint of fire safety.
Now, let’s compare it with metal structures.
Since metal is a good conductor of heat, it heats up very quickly. When temperatures reach 300-400 degrees, metal deforms, failing the construction.
However, wood is designed to endure higher temperatures.
In cases of wildfires, the temperatures can reach a whopping thousand degrees. But despite that, the interiors of a wooden building will never exceed 100 degrees as long as the wood’s interior layers maintain moisture.
Hence, wooden houses are safer for evacuation during fire instances. You can extinguish the fire, preserving the building’s construction.
So, wood catches fire. However, based on its treatment and moisture content, it gives adequate time to escape the structure.
Even when considered otherwise, wooden homes are a sustainable alternative. Know how.
Fire-Resistant Wood and Its Role in Modern Structures
Advancements in material science have helped improve the situation a lot in recent years. Thanks to the researchers in this field who painstakingly invented methods and techniques to enhance the fire-resistant capabilities of wood.
One of the noteworthy examples in this regard is cross-laminated timber, a popular material widely used in wooden homes. It is engineered to be fire-resistant.
Cross-laminated timber panels char on the exteriors, while maintaining inner strength. Thus, they provide better structural stability during instances of fire.
Prepared to Embrace the Delight of a Fire-Retardant Wooden Home?
Partner with Vrisa Innovation - a leading wooden house manufacturer in India.
We are masters of the wooden home craft and focus on building safe, secure, and sustainable homes. While our architects design compliant homes, our developers translate the architect and customer’s vision into reality with their execution expertise.
Besides, we use fire-treated and -resistant wood varieties to build structures that stand the test of time and score high on aesthetic beauty.
So, if you are dreaming of building a wooden home, just go ahead! But partner with a reliable company like us. To connect with us and explore our portfolio, call us at (+91) 9322862232 and allow our experts to discuss your needs.