When the flames came for her Californian neighbourhood, Sarah didn’t just lose her home. She lost the certainties of a life built on wooden frames and garden fences. Standing in the ash, she had an epiphany that would take her from victim to inventor.
Now, back in Britain, she’s building what she calls ‘fire-proof bunkers’ – subterranean shelters designed to withstand the infernos that are becoming an annual reality. But this isn't just a story about survival. It's about a cultural shift in how we think about home.
For decades, the British dream has been about extension, about glass and open plan. Now, for a growing number of people, safety means going underground. Sarah’s clients are not survivalists but families, middle-class professionals who have seen the news and realised that the luxury of ignoring climate change is over.
She sells them a room below the garden, stocked with air filters and fire-resistant cladding. The neighbours think she’s mad. But then, they said the same about seatbelts.
The social psychology here is fascinating: we are moving from a culture of denial to a culture of preparation. The bunker, once a symbol of paranoia, is becoming a symbol of prudence. Sarah’s innovation is not just technological; it’s a mirror to our anxieties.
She is selling peace of mind in a world on fire. And so far, business is booming.
