(NAPSI)—In 2020, 58,950 wildfires burned 10.1 million acres, the second-most acreage impacted in a year since 1960. Nearly 40% of these acres were in California, where 30 people were killed, 8,500 structures destroyed and 4 million acres of land were torched. Californians are asking what can be done to remain safe.
To help, here are some answers from former Los Angeles County Fire Department Fleet Services Chief, Craig Weeks.
For your safety, try these tips:
•If you have California Fair Plan, check with private insurance companies to see if the application of certain types of fire retardant will let you buy a comprehensive policy.
•Create defensible buffer space around your home, preferably 250 feet and up to 500 if in a high-danger area.
•Eradicate “fire ladders,” any climbing plants that are against your house.
•Enclose any wood decks, eaves or vents so that sparks cannot get underneath or inside. Use fire-approved close gauge wire for vents.
•With enough heat, the air bubbles inside stucco and cement will explode (aka “spalling”) to expose wood that will burn down a structure.
•Cut off “bridge” branches from trees that connect them to each other or to structures.
•One of the weak points in a home can be break-in-resistant laminate windows, which will blow out in a firestorm.