Preparing homes for wildfires is big business that's only getting started

Rich Snyder, who retired as the fire marshal of Sierra Madre, Calif., now works for Allied Disaster Defense, a California company that hardens homes against wildfire. One strategy is covering air vents with ember-blocking mesh. (Liz Baker/NPR)

As the Blue Ridge Fire blazed across California's Orange County in 2020, O.P. Almaraz stared at the menacing glow on the horizon and evacuated his family to a hotel. The next morning, he walked out of his room into a jam-packed, buzzing, chaotic lobby.

"I thought, holy smokes, everyone is wondering if their house is going to make it, and there's so much uncertainty," he says. "And that's when I'm like, okay, I've got to commit to figuring out how can homes survive, so we're not just praying that our homes make it."