*A hemp-lime “Z Panel” rests in the ashes after a July 28 facility fire at Sativa Building Systems in Wittenberg, WI. Photo courtesy of Sativa Building Systems*

Hempcrete Panels Survive WI Warehouse Fire

By Jean Lotus

Zachery Popp found out his Wisconsin warehouse/workshop was burning down after a late-night alert from neighbors.

“My wife and I drove out there as quickly as we could,” Popp told HempBuild Mag. “And, yeah, the building was basically fully collapsed at that point.”

The July 28 fire destroyed almost everything in the Wittenberg, WI Sativa Building Systems warehouse. But what survived was validation for Popp’s dream of creating fire-resistant hempcrete building materials.

”When I looked into the building, I saw there was one pallet of Z Panels that was sitting there,” he said. “And those were all still mostly intact. You know, everything does eventually burn, but they retained their shape.”

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*The Sativa workshop facility was a complete loss after the fire. Photo courtesy of Sativa Building Systems*

In May, Popp had just finished flame-testing research on the panels for an SBIR grant from the US Army. The panels were tested in Texas for the NFPA 286-19 flame resistance test for insulation. The panels received a Class A fire rating.

Surveying his facility in ashes, Popp wasn’t surprised to find the panels survived.

“I thought, man, well, it's just another level of validation,” he said. “It didn't surprise me. We knew that they're already fire-resistant.”

*An image from a fire testing report shows Sativa hemp-lime panels unscathed after fire testing in the corner. Photo courtesy of Sativa Building Systems*

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*Founder Zachery Popp. Photo courtesy of Sativa Building Systems*

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Australian hemp blocks survived 2024 bush fire

In 2022, another batch of hemp blocks survived a fast-moving bushfire which destroyed the Hemp Squared facility in Bridgetown (pop. 4,500) and evacuated the town about 150 miles southeast of Perth in Western Australia.

“Interestingly, the blocks that survived were stacked on [wooden] pallets,” founder/owner Iggy Van told HempBuild Magazine. “The pallets burned down, but the blocks did not.”

Cured hemp blocks (background) at Hemp Squared in Bridgetown, West Australia survived a bushfire Feb. 5, 2022 that destroyed the factory and blocks that were partially cured (foreground). Photo courtesy of Hemp Squared Pty. Ltd.

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Fire resistance of hempcrete

Hempcrete, or hemp-lime insulation is fire resistant because of the lime in the mixture. The combination of hemp, lime and water cures after about six weeks into a stone-like material that regulates temperature and humidity when used as a “monolithic” insulation envelope in wall assemblies. Compared to conventional building materials, hemp-lime is superior in disaster situations, Popp said.

“Conventional materials” burned in Wisconsin

Zach Popp said his warehouse facility was built of conventional materials, including steel – and everything burned.

“The two types of insulation I used were cellulose and fiberglass, and there was not an inch of any of that to be found,” Popp said.

After negotiations with the insurance company, Popp and Sativa Panels were able to rebuild a new facility, which he revealed on Facebook in early October.

“Of course, I could not help to think a lot about the irony of creating a product that is fire-resistant, and then losing a building to a fire,” he posted.

The company wanted to wait until the facility was built to report the fire publicly, Popp said. “We wanted to come back strong,” he said. “We're out of the woods, so we felt comfortable sharing the really challenging experience,” he added. “We're gonna come back even bigger and better. That's the goal.”