On mandatory evacuations

[m1911owner]

   They're also slightly more fire-resistant than "strike anywhere" matches.

When I was a kid, we moved into a new house with cedar shakes.  The contractor had left a couple bundles of leftover shakes with the house.  We used them for kindling wood for the fireplace.  As I remember, they would explode into flames so fast would would have thought they were soaked in gasoline.

(Somewhat off-topic: One January I put some branches from the Christmas tree in the fireplace and lit them.  The result was just short of an actual explosion.  Word to the wise on Christmas trees.)

[ilbob]

considering that asphalt shingles are available that mimic very closely the appearance of cedar shingles, and are much more fire resistant, one has to wonder why anyone would use ceder anything in an area known to have regular fires.

[m1911owner]

considering that asphalt shingles are available that mimic very closely the appearance of cedar shingles, and are much more fire resistant, one has to wonder why anyone would use ceder anything in an area known to have regular fires.

I once owned property in a subdivision in rural CA where the CC&Rs prohibited asphalt shingles.

[Brad Johnson]

They now have textured steel that mimics wood.  Fireproof and Class IV impact resistance (which, around here, gets you a healthy 25% reduction in your premium).

Good, thick A-grade shakes are okay if you seal them and put down some fire retardant annually.  If not, well, you might as well pour gas on the roof.  As the shingles wear and dry they tend to fray along the grain.  All those little fuzzies are a perfect place for stray embers to get the party started.

Brad

[Boomhauer]

(Somewhat off-topic: One January I put some branches from the Christmas tree in the fireplace and lit them.  The result was just short of an actual explosion.  Word to the wise on Christmas trees.)

I see people buying Christmas trees on Thanksgiving. Nice. You get something that dries out and becomes even more flammable...

We cut our trees no more than two to three days before Christmas and it is out the door within 1-2 days after Christmas. Of course, we recently got an artificial tree. Finding a good cedar tree on the property was getting to be too much trouble, and the cleanup and decorating wasn't much fun, either...

[ilbob]

considering that asphalt shingles are available that mimic very closely the appearance of cedar shingles, and are much more fire resistant, one has to wonder why anyone would use ceder anything in an area known to have regular fires.

I once owned property in a subdivision in rural CA where the CC&Rs prohibited asphalt shingles.

did they prohibit wild fires as well?

[m1911owner]

considering that asphalt shingles are available that mimic very closely the appearance of cedar shingles, and are much more fire resistant, one has to wonder why anyone would use ceder anything in an area known to have regular fires.

I once owned property in a subdivision in rural CA where the CC&Rs prohibited asphalt shingles.

did they prohibit wild fires as well?

No asphalt shingles, but whatever you did use was required to be class-A fire rated.  And you were required to maintain a defensible perimeter, as well.