ROSEVILLE, Calif. — As the rainy season comes to a close and drier, warmer weather takes hold, the signs of California’s wildfire season will start to show.
When a wildfire sparks, everything can change in a matter of minutes, but the work you put in before a fire can help protect their home if one strikes.
That work has been part of Gary Ledbetter's mission since the deadly 2018 Camp Fire burned down his house and the place he called home. He and his wife survived the fire, but they lost two of their neighbors.
"The fear factor of seeing the flames at a silly aggressive rate racing toward us... We didn't have a 'go bag.' We didn't prepare for that, so it was this on the fly, 'How do we do this?' 'Where do we go?'" said Ledbetter.
He’s been stressing the need for homeowners and families to be prepared for the possibility of wildfire.
A simulation put on by Cal Fire and the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety showed the importance of creating a defensible space around your home.
"Often times, what's around our home is really inviting for those embers, and so we focus on that five feet closest to your house," said Roy Wright, CEO for the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety.
During the simulation, firefighters set off small fires to mimic embers from a nearby wildfire falling on someone's property. Even if the threat of fire seems far away, it's important to know embers can travel a half mile or more.
Within 20 minutes, a home with mulch, wood sidings and wood fencing, was fully engulfed. Thick black smoke rose from the ash-covered remains of the structure.
While the mulch caught fire at the home next door, the flames stayed away from the structure. A five-foot space of noncombustible materials, like pavers, around the home created a buffer, keeping the fire from spreading.
"You can still have landscaping, but you want that five feet away so that when an ember lands close to your house, it can just fizzle out," said Wright.
Other efforts can include replacing combustible wooden fencing with metal within 5 feet of the home.
There are more ways people can prepare their home. That includes keeping your gutters and your roof free of debris and choosing noncombustible gutters and downspouts. Outbuildings, like sheds, can be moved at least 30 feet away from your home.
Yard maintenance can also be factor. This includes removing dead vegetation and debris, and for extra safety, removing any hedges close to the home.
WATCH ALSO:
