Will Roofing Shingles Burn? Fire Ratings for Colorado Springs Homes

Key Takeaways

• Asphalt shingles do not ignite easily, but rating class matters: Class A resists the worst flame exposure, Class C the least.
• Almost all modern fiberglass asphalt shingles sold in Colorado Springs carry a Class A fire rating out of the box.
• Cedar shake roofs and untreated organic shingles can ignite from windblown embers, a real risk on the west side near the foothills.
• Colorado Springs Fire Department recommends Class A roofs inside the Wildland Urban Interface.

If you live in Colorado Springs, the wildfire question is not hypothetical. The Waldo Canyon and Black Forest fires both put homes at risk that were nowhere near the ignition point, because windblown embers travel a mile or more ahead of a fire front and land on whatever is on top of your house. So yes, the roof matters. The short answer to whether roofing shingles burn: it depends entirely on the fire rating and the material.

What does a roof fire rating actually mean?

Roof coverings get tested under ASTM E108 (also called UL 790) and assigned one of three classes. The test simulates burning brands landing on the roof, flame spread across the surface, and the roof's ability to keep fire from penetrating into the attic.

Rating	What it resists	Common materials
Class A	The most severe fire exposure	Fiberglass asphalt shingles, concrete tile, clay tile, metal, slate
Class B	Moderate fire exposure	Pressure-treated wood shakes, some composite
Class C	Light fire exposure	Untreated wood shakes, plywood, particleboard

A Class A roof is what you want if your home sits anywhere near the foothills, in Cedar Heights, Mountain Shadows, Skyway, Crystal Park, or the west side neighborhoods that border open space. It is also what most insurance carriers in El Paso County now want to see on new construction and replacements.

Do asphalt shingles burn?

Modern fiberglass-mat asphalt shingles, which is what GAF, Owens Corning, CertainTeed, Malarkey, and the other major brands sell today, carry a Class A fire rating by themselves. They will char and degrade under direct flame, but they do not readily ignite from ember exposure and they do not spread flame across the roof deck.

Older organic-mat asphalt shingles, basically anything installed before the early 2000s, used a felt paper base soaked in asphalt. Those were rated Class C on their own and only reached Class A when installed over a fire-resistant underlayment. If your Colorado Springs home still has organic shingles, the roof itself is part of the fire risk.

What about wood shake and cedar roofs in Colorado Springs?

Untreated cedar shake is the highest-risk roof covering you can have on a home in the Front Range. The Colorado Springs Fire Department has called out wood shake roofs specifically in their wildfire mitigation guidance because embers can ignite the dry cedar even when there is no direct flame contact.

Pressure-treated wood shakes can reach Class B with the right treatment, but the chemicals leach out over time and the rating drops. If you bought a 1990s Briargate or Stetson Hills home with original cedar shake, the roof is likely well past the point where any treatment is still effective. Replacement to a Class A material is the right call.

What other roof materials are Class A in Colorado Springs?

• Standing seam metal. Class A out of the box, popular on newer Black Forest rebuilds and on homes in the higher wildfire risk zones. Pairs well with hail-resistant ratings.
• Concrete tile. Class A and very heat-resistant. Heavy, so check structural capacity before going this direction on an existing home.
• Clay tile. Same Class A rating, less common in Colorado Springs than in the Southwest, but seen on Spanish-style homes in the Old North End and Broadmoor.
• Composite synthetic shingles. Brands like DaVinci and Brava make polymer shingles that mimic shake or slate and carry Class A ratings without the fire risk of real cedar.

What about the rest of the roof system?

Class A shingles are only one part of a fire-resistant roof. The Colorado Springs Fire Department's Firewise guidance also covers:

1. Box in your eaves. Open eaves let embers blow into the attic and ignite insulation. Soffit panels with ember-resistant vents close that pathway.
2. Replace plastic ridge vents with metal. Plastic ridge vents melt at temperatures embers can reach.
3. Clean your gutters. Pine needles and leaves in the gutter are kindling. Two or three cleanings per year, especially before fall winds.
4. Cover attic vents with 1/8-inch metal mesh. Standard 1/4-inch mesh lets embers through.

If you are replacing your roof anyway, this is the moment to address all of the above at once. We handle the shingle work and refer trusted partners for the vent and soffit pieces.

How do I know what rating my current roof has?

If you have a copy of the original installation paperwork, the manufacturer and product line will be on it. Pull the data sheet for that product from the manufacturer's website and the fire rating is listed there.

If you have no paperwork, a roof inspection can usually identify the shingle type. Fiberglass-mat shingles look and feel different from older organic shingles, and a contractor who knows the material can tell the difference on sight. Wood shake and concrete tile are obvious.

What about insurance?

Most Colorado Springs insurance carriers do not charge a higher premium for Class C roofs at this point, but a few have started offering small discounts for Class A metal or impact-rated Class 4 shingles. The bigger insurance issue tied to your roof rating is in the high wildfire risk zones, where some carriers will not write new policies on homes with wood shake at all. If you are house-hunting on the west side, that is worth knowing before you make an offer.

So should I worry about my asphalt shingles burning?

Probably not, if they are modern fiberglass and in decent shape. The bigger risk for most Colorado Springs homes is hail damage that exposes the underlying mat, not fire. But if you have wood shake, untreated organic shingles, or you live anywhere in the Wildland Urban Interface, a Class A roof is one of the most cost-effective fire mitigation moves you can make.

Need a free roof inspection that includes fire-rating assessment? We work all over Colorado Springs, from the Old North End to Falcon to Black Forest. Call (719) 657-6893 or book online. Same-day estimates available.