[Strawbale] [SB-r-us] Strawbale passes fire tests!

[Mark Frazier]

> Actually, according to the lab guys, "everything burns eventually".
> They should know, they do it all the time.

Funny, I heard a preacher say the same thing once.... ;-)

Bill, can you describe the test a little better? It sounds to me like  
they basically subject the
thing to jet of flame until it fails. but is that realistic? I mean,  
under "normal" conditions, isn't the worse
thing you would have to worry about is a firestorm in a rural  
setting? And even in that case, would the
flames be that intense for that period of time?

In other words, how would the performance be if a brush fire swept  
over the property, or a couch caught
on fire from a cigarette? I'm thinking here of the SB bench at SLO  
sustainability group (Santa Margarita, just
south of me) where it went through just such a firestorm and survived.

Of course, we're building in an area where that same firestorm  
started....when I told my father-in-law where
our property was, he replied "Oh yeah! I fought the '41' (in highway  
41) fire back in there!"

Thanks.