[JRandomFreeper]

Sure, lots of American buildings are wood frame, and my Asbestos siding (listening for liberal heads to explode), and the fire-blocks between the studs certainly will slow down a fire, but drop one flaming pan of cooking oil in the kitchen, and you can write that house off, even if the Asbestos Siding is re-usable (assuming it didn't break like fragile glass).

/johnny

[Sherman Logan]

drop one flaming pan of cooking oil in the kitchen, and you can write that house off

Not exactly. I've been doing fire restoration work for some decades. The most common fire cause is the kitchen fire, very often exactly what you describe. What burns is the cabinets and other fixtures, and the fire seldom spreads beyond the kitchen, though the smoke certainly does!

In most cases, the damage will be identical whether the frame is wood or block.

[greeneyes]

Flaming pan of oil is a dangerous thing even when sitting on the stove. Especially if a big rush of air shoots into the room.