Millions of Californians live in residential developments that border fire-prone wildlands. Each year, hundreds of homes in these suburban and rural areas are lost to wildfire outbreaks.
To increase the chance of your home surviving a wildfire, following these fire-safe practices:
- Maintain a "defensible" space around your home by clearing all flammable vegetation a minimum of 30 feet around the structure.
- Clear dead leaves and branches to leave widely spaced ornamental shrubbery and trees.
- Clean all needles and leaves from the roof, eaves and rain gutters.
- Trim tree limbs within 10 feet of your chimney and trim all dead limbs hanging over your house or garage.
- Cover your chimney outlet or flue with a spark-arresting, half-inch mesh screen.
- Make sure your address is clearly visible for easy identification in an emergency.
- Stack woodpiles at least 30 feet from buildings, fences and other combustible materials.
- Clear all vegetation and other flammable materials from beneath your deck.
- Enclose undersides of elevated decks with fire resistant materials.
