Abstract: A loose fill packing media that can be used to protect packed items from heat and flame or to contain combustion and heat generated by a packed item comprises a plurality of foam cores formed from a cured thermoset resin coated with a layer of an intumescent material. The foam may be formed by mixing a thermoset resin with micro-balloons and a heat absorbing phase change material, adding a catalyst and shaping the mixture into pellets, curing the shaped pellets and then coating the pellets with the intumescent material. The pellets flow freely at room temperature to facilitate pouring into a box around a package to be protected. If the temperature becomes sufficiently elevated, the intumescent material foams and then chars holding the pellets together. The layer of pellets significantly impedes heat transfer to or from the package surrounded by the pellets.