Colorado startup launches wildfire ember protection for homes

As wildfires spark evacuations across the West, a Colorado-based startup is bringing commercial-grade fire protection technology to residential properties and community managers.

HausShield Pro recently launched a suite of wildfire mitigation products to address the leading cause of structural loss during wildland fires: ember ignition.

According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, wind-borne embers can travel up to 2 miles ahead of a fire front, accounting for up to 90% of all homes lost to wildfires.

“You can never stop a wall of fire coming down a mountainside,” said Margaret Price, CEO and co-founder of HausShield Pro. “But we can look at the weak points around a house – the 90-degree angles, the rooflines, the shared fence lines – and reinforce them.”

The company’s rollout comes at a critical time for the Mountain West. Fuel moisture levels in Colorado and Utah are hovering in the single digits – 5% to 7% – well below the 30% threshold where wildfire risks typically spike.

“Everything is very crisp right now,” Price said.

To address this, HausShield Pro has introduced two defensive lines that do not rely on municipal water infrastructure, which Price said is rarely built to handle large-scale wildland fire suppression.

The company’s EmberSafe product is a temporary shield applied directly to structures, decking, outdoor furniture and surrounding vegetation. It costs $120 per gallon, or roughly 30 cents per square foot, and lasts up to five rain cycles before naturally washing away.

EmberSafe, which is formulated to have zero negative impact on water runoff, has already been used successfully during the Palisade fire.

For long-term mitigation, the company offers Blaze Stop, a permanent specialized coating applied beneath exterior paint. Designed for pressboard and wood siding, it has an ASTM #2768 rating – the highest fire-test metric available for building materials.

Blaze Stop costs $8 to $14 per square foot, depending on the prep work required and the condition of the structure. HausShield certified professionals apply the coating to ensure a strict chain of custody and post-application testing.

HausShield is partnering with homeowners associations, nursing homes and equestrian facilities to establish broader defensive footprints.

“We’re just one additional layer of protection,” Price said. “Certain things we can’t prevent, but we can prevent embers from catching a home on fire.”