Abstract: The instant invention includes a flexible fire-resistant thermally insulated composite structure designed in some embodiments to pass through an opening. The structure may be self-supporting due to the stiffness of various layers, and battens may contribute to the self-supporting capacity of the structure. The flexible composite structure may have a collapsed transit configuration, allowing the structure to be compressed to more easily pass it through an opening, a rotable attachment to allow the structure to rotate away from the opening, and a releasable attachment for attaching the structure around an opening periphery. In another embodiment, the structure may also include a bottom and such a structure could provide shelter in conditions ranging from ambient environmental conditions to the extreme heat of certain fires. The insulative structures of the instant invention are not limited to embodiments designed to rest on generally horizontal surfaces.