The 2020 Almeda Fire destroyed more than 2,500 homes and reshaped how Rogue Valley homeowners, insurers, and builders think about decks. Here's what fire-resistant decking actually means, which materials resist ignition, and what to detail on an attached deck to lower your risk.
Wildfire Changed How Rogue Valley Homeowners Think About Property
In September 2020, the Almeda Fire moved north through Talent and Phoenix and destroyed more than 2,500 homes. It stopped just short of Medford. Grants Pass and the surrounding Josephine County hills watched the smoke from across the Siskiyous and recognized something: this valley has always carried wildfire risk, and the fire environment is getting more active.
The financial fallout has been felt on both sides of the county line. Insurance carriers serving Southern Oregon have raised premiums, tightened underwriting, and in some cases declined renewals across the region. Oregon home insurance premiums have climbed more than 27% since 2020. Homeowners who can document fire-resistant construction and defensible space are in a stronger position with their carrier than those who can't.
Your deck is part of that picture. An attached deck is a direct path for embers and flame to reach the house. The materials it's built from, and how the area beneath it is detailed, affect both how the home performs in a fire and how an insurer views the property.
Why Decking Material Matters for Wildfire
Not all decking performs the same in a wildfire. Traditional wood decking ignites readily, and untreated softwood offers no resistance to embers landing on the surface or collecting in gaps between boards. That's the failure point: embers, not a wall of flame, start most structure fires.
Capped composite and mineral-based decking resist ignition far better than bare wood. The products that matter for fire performance are the ones a manufacturer has tested and listed as passing the two deck-specific wildfire tests, ASTM E2632 and ASTM E2726. A board that passes those is treated as a compliant walking surface under Oregon's wildfire code. Major brands publish which of their products carry that listing.
The area under the deck matters as much as the surface. Embers collect in that cavity. Boxing in the underside with noncombustible material or fine metal mesh, and keeping firewood and other fuel out of it, removes one of the most common ignition points on an attached deck.
The Compliance Reality for Southern Oregon Lots
Oregon made its wildfire-hardening code (R327) locally adopted rather than statewide in 2025 (SB 83). Whether fire-resistant decking is code-required on your lot depends on whether your jurisdiction has adopted R327 and whether your specific parcel has been mapped into a hazard zone.
Most in-town Grants Pass and Medford lots are not currently under a mandate. Rural-edge and foothill properties in Josephine and Jackson counties may be. If you're not sure, confirm your parcel's status with your local building division or county land development office before assuming either way.
The practical reality: even where it's not required, fire-resistant construction is increasingly a financial advantage. Carriers reward it. Future code adoption may require it. And the Rogue Valley fire history makes it a rational choice regardless of what the current rule says about your address.
What to Detail on an Attached Deck
- Surface: Choose a capped composite or mineral-based board that carries an ASTM E2632 and E2726 listing.
- Underside: Box in the area beneath the deck with noncombustible material or fine metal mesh to keep embers out of the cavity.
- Fuel: Keep firewood, stored items, and leaf litter out from under the deck.
- Fasteners: Use stainless or properly coated fasteners — they hold up through the wet-winter, dry-summer cycle and won't bleed rust.
- Color: Lighter boards run cooler in Southern Oregon's intense summer heat and fade more slowly under UV.
Luxury Decks of Southern Oregon selects materials with fire performance in mind and details the under-deck space to reduce ember accumulation, on every project — whether or not your lot is mapped into a hazard zone.