Actually windows are a known point of entry for wildfires. I've been doing the research. Certainly inadequately screened vents, debris in the gutters, wood stacked against the house, gaps in the roof that allow sparks to enter, in appropriate landscaping and any number of other issues also matter. If the window frames catch on fire, or if the glass breaks due to the heat, fire can enter that way. I agree that a Class A roof, good vent screening, fire resistant siding and resilient landscaping are all probably even more important. But if you are going to do everything, windows should be considered, too.

Personally I would stop short of retrofitting windows in an existing house, though I would do as many of the other things as I could fit into a budget. Here I am considering the case of a new build, and am not yet sure just where that will be. A four season climate is under consideration, which is why I am inquiring.

Fire Rated windows are very, very expensive and typically only used commercially and or apartment type building in lot line applications.

Good to know, thanks!

Windows are certainly a part of the wall system, but as I stated previously, you haven't supplied any other information on the build and there are a host of other materials and landscape considerations that come well before the windows on the priority list.

Actually we pretty much already did all the other things on our present house. We even had the fire inspector come out to the house with his checklist and tell us what we needed to improve. He couldn't find anything. In fact he told us we could use our house and landscape as an example of what to do.

We are finishing up right now with replacing our wood siding with a fiber cement product. We don't plan to replace the windows here, but if we ever build a newer house elsewhere in fire country we'd consider them.

I do realize that none of this is a guarantee, but I sleep more early now during fire season.

Though we still have our go-bags at the ready.