In the past seven years, we’ve seen an increase in intense wildfires and extreme fire behavior, resulting in thousands of structures being burned in both rural and urban environments. Strong winds drive fire and embers towards homes and communities, and when those embers get inside a structure, they can burn it from the inside out. This makes house hardening—the practice of using fire-resistant materials and techniques in home construction—an essential part of protecting your property against wildfire damage.

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How Homes Catch Fire

There are three primary ways your home or structure can catch fire:

1. Embers – These are the most common reason homes in a wildfire burn down. Wind-driven embers can travel miles in an ember storm, pelting structures and infiltrating even the smallest cracks and openings.
2. Direct Flame Contact – Flames from the wildfire front can ignite houses, nearby vegetation, or break windows with intense heat.
3. Radiant Heat – Heat radiating from nearby burning structures or plants can ignite a home, even without direct flame contact.

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Tips for Hardening Your Home

To reduce your home’s vulnerability, follow these best practices:

• Use fire-resistant materials on your roof and walls.
• Install ember-resistant vent covers to keep embers out. (Learn more about vent covers)
• Clean gutters regularly to remove leaves and pine needles, which act as instant fuel for fire.
• Seal gaps in walls, doors, and windows to block ember entry.
• Check window screens to ensure they are tight and free from holes.

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Landscaping and Defensible Space

Direct exposure to wildfire flames can often be mitigated by maintaining defensible space around your home:

• Limit combustible vegetation near structures.
• Use non-combustible materials in your landscaping.
• Remove flammable items such as patio furniture, firewood, or boxes if a wildfire is approaching.
• Install tempered glass or multi-pane windows to reduce heat vulnerability.

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Protect Against Radiant Heat

Radiant heat from nearby fires can ignite structures without direct contact. To protect your home:

• Build outbuildings at least 30 feet away from the main structure.
• Use ignition-resistant materials for sheds, garages, or other external buildings.

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While no house can be completely fireproof, preparing your home with these strategies can greatly reduce the threat of wildfire damage.

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Direct exposure to the wildfire front can ignite a house depending on the conditions, but this can be mitigated if proper precautions are taken. According to the California Fire Safety Council, the front of a wildfire is often not hot enough to ignite a house, but can ignite nearby plants and trees, or the flame’s heat can break windows. As discussed in prior blogs, limit combustible vegetation, use non-combustible materials in your landscaping, and ideally don’t plant large trees or bushes next to a structure. Remove any flammable materials such as patio furniture, boxes, firewood and fabric if a wildfire is approaching and move them a safe distance away from structures. It is also a good idea to install multi-pane or tempered glass windows, or use fireproof shutters.

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Radiant heat is the last way your house can be burned by a wildfire. This can happen when a nearby structure or plants are burning, and the heat alone ignites a structure nearby. If you can, build outbuildings at least 30 feet away from your main structure, and also consider building them with ignition-resistant materials. This will further help prevent them from catching fire and possibly igniting your main structure as well.

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Resources:

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https://www.fire.ca.gov/home-hardening 

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https://cafiresafecouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/2019-CFSC_Brochure_HARDENED-HOMES.pdf 

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https://www.fema.gov/sites/default/files/2020-11/fema_protect-your-property_wildfire.pdf 

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https://www.nfpa.org/education-and-research/wildfire/preparing-homes-for-wildfire 

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