Napa Valley couple create incredible fireproof bunker that can survive 2,000F after blaze killed their neighbors

A Napa Valley couple whose neighbors died trying to escape a deadly wildfire has helped create a fireproof backyard bunker capable of withstanding temperatures up to 2,000 degrees.The shelter, dubbed “Fort,” was inspired by the horrifying night the Atlas Fire tore through Napa County in October 2017, leaving a trail of destruction that burned more than 51,000 acres, destroyed 783 structures and claimed six lives.Linda Cantey, an aerospace engineer and consultant, said she and her husband were asleep when the blaze swept their neighborhood.“We were sound asleep when that thing came ripping through our neighborhood,” Cantey told the BBC.With the sound on her cellphone off, the couple didn’t wake up until someone called their home phone.By then, the canyon was already engulfed in flames.“By the time somebody called our home phone and woke us up… the entire canyon was full of flames, and we could see across the canyon that every single house over there was already on fire,” she recalled.The couple escaped, but one elderly pair on their street did not.

According to Cantey, the couple had been ready to leave but lost power and didn’t know another way to open their garage door after the outage.The tragedy stayed with her.After the fire, Cantey joined local fire-safety advisory boards and approached a mining company she consults for that specializes in underground refuge chambers.She wanted to know whether similar technology could be adapted to help people trapped by wildfires.The result was Fort, an above-ground refuge that resembles a backyard shed but is built with fire-resistant materials and doors.

The structure can accommodate up to eight people and their valuables while providing breathable air for up to 4 hours.“If it wasn’t for Linda, we wouldn’t have built this, I don’t think,” Josh Behling, president of Wildfire Safety Systems and one of the refuge’s inventors, told the outlet.The bunkers start at $60,000 and are intended as a last...