The sheer scope and intensity of the wildfires in Los Angeles in January 2025 has fire experts surveying the damage and looking for clues as to why some residential and commercial structures survived while others burned.
The wildfires, which caused 29 fatalities, destroyed more than 16,000 residential and commercial structures and burned more than 33,000 acres, are considered one of the costliest disasters in U.S. history.
“A new report from the UCLA Anderson Forecast suggests that the two largest wildfires that recently ravaged L.A. County — the Palisades and Eaton fires — may have caused total property and capital losses ranging between $95 and $164 billion, with insured losses estimated at $75 billion,” said a UCLA newsroom release. ”Local businesses and employees in the affected areas could face a total wage loss of $297 million.”
The role of insulated metal panels (IMPs) could offer clues as to how commercial and industrial buildings can help create a fire defense in the future.
While the embers were still smoldering from the fires, teams from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety, a non-profit research group that studies how buildings burn, were on the ground.
“Within that wreckage, some homes are still standing, seemingly untouched. It’s a phenomenon that’s been seen in other high-intensity fires, something that can feel like a stroke of luck,” reported NPR. ”Sometimes, the houses survived because the winds could have shifted at just the right moment. But more often, fire experts are finding those homeowners took key precautions that likely saved their houses from burning.”
On a short list of precautions (including clearing vegetation and space between buildings) that spared structures are the use of fire-resistant materials in construction, especially metal roofing.
Owners of commercial and industrial buildings have the option of IMPs, which are engineered to meet rigorous fire safety standards.
Green Span Profiles American-made roof and wall IMPs, for example, pass fire resistance testing for several standards including FM 4880 standards that certify the materials as Class 1 Fire Rated (the equivalent of Class A fire-resistant rating).
IMPs, as defined by the Metal Construction Association (MCA) , are lightweight composite exterior wall and roof panels with two layers of coated thin sheet metal (typically steel or aluminum) wrapped around a rigid foam core to form a stiff composite.
The plastic foam core gives these panels not only superior insulating properties, but also fire-resistant properties.
“The use of Insulated Metal Panels containing foam plastic insulating materials, when they comply with the appropriate fire test requirements for both the components individually and the assembly, for example as used in the U.S., have been shown to exhibit excellent fire performance and have not been involved in any significant number (if any) of tragic fires,” wrote Marcelo Hirschler, GBH International, a fire testing contractor, in an MCA white paper on the Fire Safety of Insulated Metal Wall Panels.
While traditional IMPs offer good fire resistance, commercial and industrial buildings can add an extra layer of protection by using IMPs with mineral wool in the core, which is considered non-flammable and non-combustible.
Green Span Profiles Insulrock fire-rated panels, for example, use ROXUL ConRock L structural mineral wood in the core which is fire-rated from 1 to 3 hours depending on panel thickness.
IMPs, such as those manufactured by Green Span Profiles, integrate three layers of fire defense:
These panels are engineered to perform under extreme conditions, earning certifications through rigorous testing:
IMPs undergo rigorous fire safety testing to ensure they meet stringent building code requirements. Here’s how IMPs perform under key fire safety tests:
This test, also known as the “tunnel test,” evaluates the surface burning characteristics of building materials:
These results indicate excellent resistance to surface flame spread and smoke development.
This critical test evaluates the fire propagation characteristics of exterior non-load-bearing wall assemblies:
Many IMP manufacturers have successfully passed NFPA 285 tests in various wall configurations, demonstrating their ability to contain fire spread effectively.
This Factory Mutual test evaluates the fire performance of insulating materials used on indoor walls and ceilings:
As wildfires intensify, building codes are evolving rapidly to prioritize fire-resistant materials and designs.
Insulated metal panels (IMPs) from Green Span Profiles are at the forefront of this shift, offering solutions that meet — and often exceed — 2025’s stringent wildfire-resilience standards.
New regulations focus on three critical areas:
IMPs can help rebuild smarter for commercial and industrial building owners by offering:
Green Span Profiles IMPs meet new, more stringent requirements for fire protection and offer an excellent solution for buildings in high-risk zones. Contact Green Span Profiles today to learn more about how you can protect your investment with fire-resistant building materials like IMPs.