As flames consumed the Californian town of Paradise for the second time in six years, a team of British engineers watched from across the Atlantic with a mixture of horror and hope. Their invention, a modular fire-proof bunker, had just survived a test by fire that no government regulator could have devised.
The bunker, built by a small firm in Sheffield, is designed to withstand temperatures of over 1,000 degrees Celsius. It is made from a proprietary blend of concrete and steel, with a ventilation system that filters out smoke. For residents who cannot evacuate in time, it offers a last resort.
“We never wanted this to be necessary,” said James Thornton, the company’s founder, speaking from a factory floor littered with welding equipment. “But the fires are getting worse. People need something that works.”
Last week, as the Camp Fire II swept through Paradise, several residents who had purchased the bunkers after the 2018 fire used them for the first time. One family, the Ortegas, huddled inside for four hours while their home burned. They emerged to find the structure singed but intact, the interior barely above 30 degrees.
“It was like being in a safe,” said Maria Ortega, holding her toddler. “We heard the roar, felt the heat through the walls. But we lived.”
The bunkers cost £15,000 for a basic model that fits four people, a price Thornton admits is out of reach for many. “We are working on a subsidised version for low-income communities,” he said. “But it’s difficult. Materials are expensive, and we are a small operation.”
Local officials in California are taking note. The mayor of Paradise said the city would consider purchasing bunkers for vulnerable residents, particularly the elderly and disabled. “We cannot prevent wildfires, but we can mitigate their impact,” she said.
Critics argue that the bunkers offer a false sense of security. “The real solution is to stop building in fire-prone areas and address climate change,” said Dr. Helen Ross, a disaster resilience expert at the University of Manchester. “Bunkers are a sticking plaster.”
But for the Ortegas and others, the sticking plaster is all that stands between them and a burning future. As wildfires become more frequent and intense, British engineering is stepping into the breach. It is a story of innovation born from tragedy, and of profit made from fear. But for now, it is also a story of survival.
Back in Sheffield, Thornton is already designing a larger bunker for community shelters. “We are not trying to exploit disaster,” he said. “We are trying to give people a fighting chance.”
