When a fast-moving wildfire ripped through a Palisades property, almost everything was reduced to ash. One of the few things still standing in the aftermath: a FireKing fireproof file cabinet.

It’s one thing to read about lab tests and fire ratings. It’s another to see a real-world fire where the building is gone, the landscape is charred, and the cabinet is still there doing its job—helping protect critical documents.

Why This Story Matters if You’re Shopping Fireproof Cabinets

Standard metal file cabinets collapse quickly in a fire. A true fireproof file cabinet is engineered to buy you time: time for firefighters to respond, time for suppression systems to work, and time for your most important records to survive.

• Real-world proof: This isn’t a demo - this FireKing cabinet was on-site during the Palisades fire in January, 2025
• Peace of mind: Contracts, patient files, legal records, HR documents, and vital home papers have a fighting chance.
• Business continuity: After a disaster, having your core records intact can mean the difference between reopening and starting over.

Ready to Protect Your Own Files?

If this cabinet can walk away from the Palisades fire still standing, imagine what the right model can do for your office or home. At Advanced Filing Concepts, we offer a full lineup of FireKing and other fireproof file cabinets with options for every space and budget.

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Not sure which cabinet is right for you? Contact us and we’ll help you match the right fire rating, size, and configuration to your application - so you’re not just buying a cabinet, you’re buying proof-backed protection.

Fireproof File Cabinet FAQ

Do fireproof file cabinets really work?

Yes - when you choose a properly rated fireproof file cabinet from a manufacturer like FireKing and install it correctly, it is designed to help keep the internal temperature low enough to protect paper documents for a tested period of time during a typical office or building fire. A standard metal file cabinet offers almost no thermal protection by comparison.

How long will a FireKing cabinet protect documents in a fire?

FireKing offers models with different fire ratings, typically 1-hour or 2-hour protection. That rating indicates how long the cabinet has been tested to protect documents under specific high-heat conditions. The right choice depends on your risk profile, building type, and what you are storing.

What’s the difference between a 1-hour and 2-hour fire rating?

A 1-hour fire-rated cabinet is tested to protect documents for at least one hour under defined fire conditions, while a 2-hour cabinet is designed to maintain protection for twice as long. In higher-risk environments or locations where response times may be slower, many organizations prefer the added security of a 2-hour model.

Are fireproof file cabinets worth it for small businesses or home offices?

For many small businesses and home offices, a single fireproof file cabinet can protect the documents that are hardest to replace: legal records, tax files, insurance documents, estate papers, titles, and other critical records. When you compare the cost of a cabinet to the time, money, and stress of recreating lost files after a fire, the investment is often easy to justify.