Wildfires have become common in Southern California, Texas, Colorado and many other states in the past two decades, and they can happen at anytime of the year.
What you can do to get ready.
Simple Changes:
- Changing the mesh in the outdoor vents from 1/4″ to 1/8″ making it much harder for burning embers to get trapped inside the vents.
- Fill in small gaps underneath the roof tiles with foam or concrete. When the fire comes through, there are thousands of little embers bouncing around and they find even the smallest opening.
More Extensive Changes:
- Remove wood from around house.
- Replace wood windows. Wood framed windows were framed with wood and if that wood were to burn the panes would pop out allowing the fire easy access into the house.
- Encase wood eves with a noncombustible material such as stucco.
- Remake the decks, balconies, and walls with similarly fire-resistant matter (like tile or brick). If that is too expensive, fire resistant caulk and paint on wood can help.
If the Fire is Coming:
- Sweeping up piles of dead leaves near the home since embers will land in them and ignite.
- Move patio furniture far away from the house; even in the pool if possible.
- Remove or retract awnings.
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Green Real Estate Appraiser 