As the temperature gets higher, the frequency of wildfire occurrences is increasing which is why you need to know how to protect your home from wildfire.

Wildfires are important phenomena in nature. They help in returning the nutrients to the soil. Wildfires ignite dead or decay materials such as leaves and bushes. They are also used in disinfecting disease-ridden plants and harmful insects.

Yet, a wildfire can go further and damage your property. Wildfire occurs due to the 3 components; fuel, energy, and a heat source. It can travel as fast as the wind and can eat up everything it encounters. That includes trees, bushes, houses, and even lives. Therefore, you must take note of these components in order to protect your home from wildfire.

No matter how big or small the damage is; or even how far you are from a fire zone area, it is important that you take measures in preventing your home from the damage it brings and protecting yourself and your family from its danger.

In this article, you will learn more about how to protect your home from wildfire. But before that, let’s talk first about how homes catch fire in a wildfire.

How Do Homes Catch Fire In A Wildfire?

It doesn’t need to have a direct flame for your home to get burned by wildfires. With the help of wind, the embers, (defined as the glowing hot coal made of heated wood, coal, or other carbon-based material that remain after, or sometimes precede a fire) can float long distances and can land into combustible materials present in your surroundings, or enter in your home through wide open areas, such as gutters that are full of debris, uncovered attic vents, open or broken windows, and old roofs with missing shingles. Once an ember gets its chance, then it will penetrate the area and create a big disaster.

The big question is “How can you protect your home from wildfire?”

How To Protect Your Home From Wildfire Damage

According to one study, the damage caused by wildfires to the community including residential properties is inevitable. It means that you can avoid the damage if you know how to protect your home from wildfire. It is necessary to change the conditions of the house and its immediate surroundings.

Below are the tips you can follow to protect your home from wildfire damage and avoid wildfire damage.

Remove Hazards Around Your Home

• If you have a lawn or plot of land, regularly cut the grass surrounding it.
• Remove and dispose of dead or dying trees and shrubs.
  
• Store wood, lumber and other timber in a fire resistant closed storage box. Never place lumber next to the siding of your home.
• Clear your roof, gutters, and eaves of debris.
• Cut branches from time to time so they don’t go near the roof or the chimney.
• Make sure to check your property at least once a month to see if any combustible materials are surrounding your home.

Build Or Refit Your Home With Non-Flammable Materials

• Use fire-resistant roofing materials such as tiled or steel roof.
• Consider investing drapes or curtains and non-combustible shutters for your windows.
• Install ¼ ember resistant screens to all vents to protect your home from internal ignition.
• Create a sign and an address visible from the street.
• Use spark arresters in the chimney.

Create A Defensible Space

Create a space around your home that can help in preventing fire damage in your home. Maintain the 3 zones around your home. The first zone, zero to five feet zone can help in reducing the chance that fire will arise near your house. The second zone, a five to thirty feet zone prevents a fire from climbing into the top part of the trees and shrubs and would not lead straight to your home. The third zone, a thirty to 100 feet zone can help to slow down and reduce the energy of wildfire. Follow these tips for maintaining your defensible space.

• Install hard surfaces for landscaping and walkway
• Plant trees at least 10 feet apart from your home.
• Remove lower tree branches. Branches should be 6 feet high from the ground and shrubs should not be more than 18 inches high.
• Never connect the wooden fence to your home.
• Remove pine needles around your home.

Create An Escape Plan

Aside from understanding the disaster preparedness plan set by your community, it is best to create an escape plan when a disaster happens. Educate the whole member of the family about the routes to take and the meeting place.

Can A Wet Home Keep The Embers And Flames At Bay?

Yes. With the help of an external sprinkler, the surroundings can get wet and can effectively prevent a home from igniting during a wildfire. This solution might be unusual to protect your home from wildfire but making your home wet could delay or even contain the fire from damaging your home.

All homes that are built in high or extremely high wildfire hazard zone should be required an external sprinkler that has an independent water supply such as a swimming pool or a water tank. In addition, homes that are attached to another home should be connected to the community water tank.

Recovering From A Wildfire

Recovering from a wildfire can be an overwhelming task. It requires a lot of effort and the remains can possibly create danger. The effects of wildfire vary depending on the severity of the fire and the damage it has done.

Restoring your property requires skills and knowledge. Thus, getting help from expert individuals is indeed necessary. The professionals have experience in repairing a home after a disaster. They have all the equipment, large and small ones, needed in restoring your home. They follow the appropriate process to fully recover your home from the disaster and to sustain any further damage or danger.

Below are the steps they take in restoring your property.

• Assessing the extreme of the damage.
• Minimizing the damage and preventing further damage
• Removing soot and debris
• Removing items that were totally damaged and impossible to restore.
• Removing excess water from extinguishing the fire and drying wet surfaces
• Deodorizing, deep cleaning and removing stains.

Let Superior Restoration help you in restoring your property. We are fully equipped with the knowledge, skills, expertise, and tools in recovering a damaged home from a wildfire. Call us today!