Outside Your Home

-Your roof is the most vulnerable part of your house because it can easily catch fire from wind-blown sparks. It is highly recommended that you build or re-roof with fire resistive roofing materials. Also be sure to clear pine needles, leaves or other debris from your roof and gutters. And remove any dead branches overhanging your roof.

-Remove any tree branches within 10 feet of your chimney. Cover your chimney outlet and stovepipe with a nonflammable screen of 1/2 inch or smaller mesh.

-Build or remodel with fire resistive building materials, such as brick or stucco.

-Enclose the undersides of balconies and above-ground decks with fire resistive materials.

-Limit the size and number of windows in your home that face large areas of vegetation. Even from a distance of 30 feet away, the heat from a wildfire is enough to ignite the furnishings inside your house. Install only dual-paned or triple-paned windows to reduce the potential of breakage in a fire.

-Create a "defensible space" by removing all dry grass, brush, and dead leaves at least 30 feet from your home. Replace native plants with ornamental landscaping plants that are fire resistive.

-Space trees and shrubs at least 10 feet apart. Reduce the number of trees in heavily wooded areas.

-For trees smaller than 18 feet, prune lower branches within six feet of the ground to keep ground fires from spreading into tree tops.

-Stack firewood and scrap woodpiles at least 30 feet from any structure and clear away flammable vegetation that is within 10 feet of these woodpiles.

-Locate LPG tanks (butane and propane) at least 30 feet from any structure and surround them with 10 feet of clearance.

-Defensible space must be regularly maintained to be effective.