Vents:

Burning embers were blown through this vent screen and a fire started in the crawl space of this home.

Vents on homes are potential entry points for flying embers. They include attic, foundation, and eave vents. All vent openings need to be covered with 1/8-inch or smaller noncorrosive wire mesh. Do not use fiberglass or plastic mesh because they can melt or burn.

Exterior Siding:

Using wood shingles for siding is a bad idea in high fire hazard areas.

The siding covering the exterior walls of a home is particularly vulnerable to radiated heat and direct flame contact. Wood products, such as boards, panels and shingles, are the most common siding materials. However, they are combustible and not good choices for fire prone areas. Noncombustible siding materials, such as stucco, brick, and cement board, are better choices.

Eaves:

The eaves are a vulnerable part of the home.

The eaves of a home act as a heat trap for hot air and gases, greatly increasing the chance of ignition. Covering the underside of the eave with a soffit, or “boxing in” the eave, allows the heat to escape.

Open eaves on the left and boxed-in eaves pictured on the right.

Chimney:

Chimney and stovepipe openings should be screened with ˝-inch or smaller noncombustible mesh or an approved spark arrestor cap.

Rain Gutter:

Rain gutters filled with leaves and ignited by embers have been responsible for destroying homes.

Rain gutters trap flying embers. Always keep your rain gutters free of leaves, needles, and debris. Check and clean them several times during fire season.

Roof:

Homes with wood shake and shingle roofs are much more likely to be destroyed during wildfire.

The roof is the most vulnerable part of a home to wildfire. It is also the best predictor of home survivability during a wildfire. Homes with wood-shake or shingle roofs are much more likely to be destroyed during a wildfire than homes with a fire-resistant roof.

The only long term solution to reducing the wood shake and shingle hazard is replacing the roof with a fire resistant type.

If you have a wood-shake or shingle roof, consider replacing it with a fire-resistant type. Fire-resistant roofing materials include composition, metal, and tile. The fire resistance of a roof is rated “A,” “B,” “C,” or “non-rated.” An “A” rating has the highest fire resistance. Regardless of the type of roof you have, keep it free of fallen leaves, needles, and branches.

Firewood:

Stacking firewood next to the house is a bad idea. Burning embers from a nearby wildfire could ignite the stack.

Firewood stacks should be located at least 30 feet from the home. If the stacks are stored uphill from the house, make sure that burning firewood cannot roll downhill and ignite the home.

Fortunately, this firewood stack was located far away from the house when it burned.

Flammable Items:

Keep the porch, deck, and other areas of the home free of easily combustible materials. Decorative items such as baskets, dried flower arrangements, and pine cones, have been known to ignite homes when burning embers land on them. Also, keep these areas free of newspapers, exposed mail, and debris.

Windows:

The radiant heat from this wildfire was so intense, it broke the glass in these windows.

Windows are one of the weakest parts of a home and usually break before the structure ignites. When exposed to high heat for a long enough period of time, glass can crack and the fractured pieces may fall away. This allows burning embers and heat to enter the home, which may lead to internal ignition. Single-paned and large windows are particularly vulnerable. In high fire hazard areas, install windows that are at least double-glazed or tempered glass. Low “E” glass may provide added protection. Windows using aluminum frames and sashes are better choices than those using wood or vinyl.

Decks:

Decks can trap the heat of an oncoming wildfire.

Since decks are often positioned on the downhill side of the home, they can trap heat, flames and embers from an oncoming wildfire. The hazard increases when leaves, dried grass, debris and other combustible materials are allowed to accumulate under the deck.

The underside of decks should be enclosed.

To avoid this hazard, the underside of the deck should be enclosed with fire-resistant materials. At the very least, the underside of the deck should be enclosed with 1/8-inch wire mesh. Keep this area free of all easily combustible materials.