Isn’t a straw bale home at greater risk for fire?
No. Canadian and U.S. materials laboratories have found that: “The straw bale/mortar structure wall has proven to be exceptionally resistant to fire.” In these tests, the flames took more than two hours to penetrate the plastered bale walls. Conventional framing built to commercial standards took only 30 minutes to one hour to burn. Due to their tight compaction, bales contain very little oxygen and thus resist combustion. It’s like trying to burn a phone book. Loose straw; however, is at risk for fire and should be cleaned from the job site daily. Walls should be plastered as early as possible to increase their fire resistance.
