An intense wildfire surrounded John Belles’ home, but he wasn’t worried.
That’s because he had built his house--a concrete dome--to withstand just about anything nature could throw his way.
The home had not yet dealt with a wildfire, but the survivalist says the house is fine after the fire passed, despite flames reaching up to 20 feet licking at its walls.
“I didn’t know how it was going to work out, but I figured I was safe inside the building,” Belles told KPTV. “It was cool and well-protected with the concrete and everything.”
Belles was thinking about fleeing the area and had shuttled three vehicles of his property before he realized the flames were just a couple hundred yards away.
“I grabbed the hose, soaked my clothing down and doused the north side of the building as much as I could,” he told ABC. “[The fire] got close enough that it was super heated and getting uncomfortable out there in the smoke. I went inside, shut the door behind me and watched it move by.”
When he moved into the valley, he was well aware of threats like fires, which is why he built the concrete house.
“It’s a perfect example of the authorities being spread thin and not being able to take care of everybody,” Belles said. “You know, you can’t depend on that you have to prepare.”
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