Facing the flame monster

Within 24 hours, the affected fire area had more than tripled in size to up to 250 square kilometers, threatening the power supply of the San Francisco Bay Area. More than 1,500 fire fighters are deployed, hundreds of residents and tourists fled the flames. "We got a monster on our hands," Lee Bentley from the US Forest Service told the TV station CBS.

Wildfires have always been part of the Californian summer. There is not a year in which thousands of hectares of forest are not destroyed by the flames. However, wildfire losses have greatly increased in the United States in the last decade, a report of Fireman’s Fund says. Warmer temperatures, less snow and prolonged drought periods are to blame. Fire “season” is no longer seasonal but a year-round concern, say the experts of Fireman’s Fund in the recent paper called “Protecting Your Home From Wildfire”.

“Of homes lost to wildfires, many can be saved if their owners follow a few important fire-safe practices,” says John Hunt, wildfire specialist at Fireman’s Fund. “It is critical, therefore, that individuals and communities vulnerable to wildfires take steps to protect themselves. Fortunately, Fireman's Fund policyholders living in places where the wilds meet urban settlements have access to our experienced Risk Services Consultants who offer onsite advice on how to protect the home to survive a wildfire."

The greatest wildfire threat to be prevented is ember exposure. Wildfires generate high winds that can carry small burning embers miles away from the actual flames. These may penetrate unprotected houses and ignite combustible materials like wood, eventually causing buildings to burn from the inside out. That is one of many risks that can be reduced if homeowners prepare or “harden” their homes before a fire starts.

Fireman’s Fund top 5 prevention measures to protect homes from wildfires

1. Create defensible space around your home and property using fire resistant landscaping materials
2. Remove debris that accumulates in gutters and at roof-to-wall intersections such as dormers and chimneys.
3. Use fire-resistant building materials for your home and near-by structures.
4. Install ember/flame resistant vents and close all windows and doors in the event of wildfire.
5. Request a risk management consultation from your insurance company or ask your independent insurance agent for qualified fire mitigation vendors.

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