Your home can survive a wildfire: How you can potentially save your house from devastating damage

Wildfires across the United States scorch thousands of homes and buildings each year. In 2017, the devastating blazes wiped out more than 12,300 structures, including more than 8,000 homes, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

The U.S. Forest Service reports that about 40 million homes are at risk of being destroyed by wildfires, which have been growing in intensity and frequency in recent years.

People living in the wildland-urban interface, areas where homes are built near or among wildfire-prone land, are especially vulnerable.

“A lot of people mistakenly think they want to maintain that natural look, so they don’t trim or cut down their trees and they allow vegetation to get too close to their homes and [grow] too thick,” said Kirk Schmitt, senior fire investigator and wildland fire specialist for EFI Global at Sedgwick, a full-service engineering, fire investigation, environmental, health and safety and specialty consulting services firm.

“As a wildland fire burns, it burns the natural vegetation, and the more vegetation you have near your home, the more susceptible it is to have that fire transitioning from the vegetation onto the home,” Schmitt said.

Despite the risk, it is possible for a home and yard to survive a wildfire’s impacts.

“I can’t tell you how many times we’ve driven through the forest and it’s just home after home that’s destroyed, and then, all of a sudden, here’s a beautiful home that’s untouched,” Schmitt told AccuWeather.

“It’s because the homeowner has reduced the fuels, he’s got a nice, green yard around it and their home survived damage,” Schmitt said. “It really does work.”

Protecting your home from a wildfire

In order to protect your home and surrounding yard from burning up in a wildfire, experts note two factors that determine your home’s ability to survive: the quality of the defensible space surrounding the home and the home’s structural ignitability.

These two factors make up the Home Ignition Zone, according to the Colorado State Forest Service, which stated that “creating defensible space works in the reverse and reduces the chance of a structure fire spreading to neighboring homes or the surrounding forest.”

This zone includes the structure and the space that immediately surrounds it, and the goal is to “reduce or eliminate fuels and ignition sources” within the Home Ignition Zone.

In order to build a defensible space, prepare an area around the home by clearing, reducing or treating vegetation for least 100 feet away from the house, advised Marie D. Jones, author of “The Disaster Survival Guide: How to Prepare for and Survive Floods, Fires, Earthquakes and More.”

“Clear out grass and brush and cut trees back to a minimum of 100 feet from the structure, including overhanging branches,” Jones said. “If you don't want to leave the defensible space area as dirt, you can cover this area with rocks, fire-resistant plants and ground cover, ivy, pebbles or stones.”

Local fire departments will be able to provide suggestions on how to cut back brush and which plants are best for your area, Jones added.

The Colorado State Forest Service noted that three zones should be addressed when creating defensible space around your home.

“Zone one is the area nearest the home and other structures. This zone requires maximum hazard reduction,” according to the Colorado State Forest Service. “Zone two is a transitional area of fuels reduction between zones one and three. Zone three is the area farthest from the home, and extends from the edge of zone two to your property boundaries.”

Schmitt advised not forgetting to clear the roof while preparing your home.

“Clean those needles off, clean off that vegetation and leaf litter off your roof and gutters,” he said. “That way, you don’t have [anything] on the roof for the fire to take hold upon.”

He added that the average national roof is very fire-resistant, and keeping it clean only helps to defend the home from fire.

Oftentimes, he said, small embers are responsible for these fires. “On the end of our home, we have gable ends, and then we have vents and the eaves around the house,” Schmitt said. “That’s a really good place for embers to enter the attic.”

This can be avoided by removing the eaves and placing screening inside to allow for fresh air and ventilation as well as a way to keep flying embers from entering the vents and attic.

Removing items stored underneath a home’s deck will also help prevent fire, according to Schmitt.

Keeping tree limbs off the ground is also essential.

“If the fire spreads across the grass, hits those lower branches and transitions up into the branches, now you’ve got a crown fire,” Schmitt said.

One of the best fire breaks is simply maintaining a healthy, green lawn, he noted. "I’ve seen time and time again where fire will just be spreading through the forest, and all of a sudden, it hits a nice green lawn and it lays down, because there's just nothing to burn."

Other steps you can take to protect your home include removing rotten wood fencing, tree branches, woodpiles and any other combustible materials like propane tanks and grills, according to Jones. "Also, replace old shake shingle roofing with newer, more fire-resistant tiles," she said. "Yes, it is expensive, but it could save your home."

Experts recommend becoming familiar with the NFPA's Firewise website, which educates the public on how to adapt to living with wildfire and taking steps to prevent losses.

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For more safety and preparedness tips, visit AccuWeather.com/Ready.

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