Wildfires currently blazing in Okanogan County, Washington, have just broken the record for the biggest in the state’s history. With fire season just getting underway and September looking hot and dry, the so-called Okanogan Complex fires will likely persist for months.

In Omak, a small town in the county nearly surrounded by the fire, many residents have already fled, forced out by the blaze or sickly thick smoke. But self-described “inventor” John Belles decided to stick things out in his self-made concrete dome house.

Surrounded by 12-foot high flames and extreme heat, Belles stayed in the house, unharmed (but toasty), until the fire around him had died down, leaving only charred vegetation behind. He told the Guardian, “It was incredibly hot but the house did what it said it would do. They said it was nonflammable, and it was.” The house was undamaged, save for a destroyed electricity box.

Belles built the home himself 15 years ago, knowing full well of the fire danger in the area and thinking the concrete home would be a good defense. Many homes have already been destroyed, and with few firefighters to cover the continuing blaze, Belles is pretty satisfied with his choice. “It’s a perfect example of the authorities being spread thin and not being able to take care of everybody. You just can’t really depend on that, you have to prepare.”

h/t to The Guardian's coverage of the Okanogan Complex fires, here, here and here.

Update: a previous version of this piece referred to Belles' house as "cement", and not "concrete".