In a pioneering approach to wildfire protection, a new neighborhood in Southern California is redefining home construction, offering a potential model for communities threatened by increasingly destructive wildfires.

The Dixon Trail neighborhood, developed by KB Home in collaboration with the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS), features 64 homes designed to resist and slow the spread of wildfires, addressing both safety concerns and rising insurance challenges.

Steve Ruffner, KB Home’s regional general manager, said the project was inspired by a dramatic demonstration by IBHS at a builders‘ conference where two homes were subjected to fire conditions.

“They lit a fire around each home,” Ruffner recalled. “The home built in the eighties burned down in about 45 minutes. The home built to their standards did not burn at all.”

Roy Wright, IBHS CEO, emphasizes that “fireproof” is a misleading term. Fire resistant and fire prepared is a more accurate description. “Nothing is fireproof,” he said. “What we can do is narrow the pathways of wildfires.”

The neighborhood incorporates multiple fire-resistant features:

• Non-flammable stucco siding
• Enclosed eaves
• Tile roofs
• Dual-pane tempered windows
• 5-foot defensible space around homes
• Metal fencing
• Homes spaced at least 10 feet apart

Wright noted the strategic importance of these design choices including five feet of defensible space. “We regularly see embers during high winds literally spin in this area,” he said. “Everything here is non-flammable.”

The approach goes beyond standard California building codes, which already require fire-resistant materials in high-risk zones. The neighborhood could serve as a potential passive fire break, potentially protecting surrounding communities.

“If fires come down from those foothills, this will serve as a passive fire break literally protecting the next neighborhood,” Wright explained.

While the homes are priced at Escondido’s median of $1 million, Ruffner believes the approach will become more economical over time.

“We’re learning how to do this with our trade partners,” Ruffner said. “We want to understand what we can do more economically.”

Wright has ambitious goals for widespread adoption. “Over the course of this year, we need to see a dozen more developments move in this direction across the state,” he said. “Then we need to see this just become normal.”