CNN’s wildfire video exposes portal of entry into home

This morning I flipped on the television set and was astonished to see even more, new, wildfires raging across the southern portions of California. As I watched this annual catastrophy unfold I noticed that one of the homes showed on CNN’s video was in its first stages of actually catching fire.

Now, most of you are not firefighters and view this footage without and investigatory eye. What I saw in that video was quite interesting. I witnessed a home catching fire at the roof and attic level due to shrubs. That does not sound like anything new does it? Well, this home was in, what appeared to be, a flat-land concrete laden suburbia surrounded by green lawns. The area around the home was lacking large volumes of brush and trees. An hour later, on CNN, more video came out from the same area.

The new video showed un-burned lawns and some un-burned landscaping. So what’s the big deal about the video. It is simply this. THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF ANY HOME’S DEFENSIBLE SPACE IS THE FIRST TEN FEET OF IT! Here are a few overlooked examples that will are very receptive to embers and stand to be the prime assisting agent in burning your home down.

1. Juniper bushes under the windows or close to your home
2. Decorative shrubs touching your home
3. Decorative “full” shrubs against your home that are greater than or equal to the height of your roof line
4. Plastic garbage cans and recycling cans against your home
5. Firewood piles stored under the eves of your home
6. Plastic patio furniture within the first five feet of your home
7. Accumulations of leaves around the base of your home or in, under or around wooden decks
8. Rain gutters filled with leaves and / or needle cast
9. Roofs that have accumulations of leaves on them
10. Plastic storage sheds within ten feet of the home

I teach many classes on defensible space, evaluations, site preparation, etc. In each class, the biggest topic of discussion is the 100 foot defensible space; what to cut? what to leave? how far is far enough? what type of plants to have in the area? All of these are great questions to ask. However, if you do not tend to the first 10 feet where embers will be bombarding your home, then there is no reason to spend thousands of money on vegetation management out to 100 feet.

As always, Firescape will keep Santa Barbara, Sylmar and Southern California in our prayers as this fire season rages on.

If you would like to learn more about vegetation management, defensible space, or want to work with Firescape then please continue to our website at www.firescape.us