10/20/2025
For the last 5 years, cities and towns all over Southern New England have taken a hard line stance on fire blocking in residential construction. What is fire blocking? Fire blocking is the use of fire resistive building materials for the purpose of stopping or slowing the propagation of smoke and flame in a building assembly - or the movement of smoke or flame from passing from one assembly to another. Approved materials include: 2x dimensional lumber, rock wool batting, steel wool, cement/gypsum board and non-combustible sealants. In the event of a fire, a properly fire blocked building can extend the amount of time you have to safely exit by minutes. Which can be crucial to protecting your health and possibly your life.
