California’s brush fire season has been ushered in with a series of deadly wildfires across the state and now city leaders are cautioning local homeowners to take precautions. As of June 1 — the official opening of brush fire season that lasts until December 1 — more than 60,000 acres have burned across California and at least two people have been killed.
Because Malibu is especially vulnerable due to its topography and during a fifth year of drought Los Angeles County and state officials say the most important thing homeowners can do is to clear the brush around your home and property. Preparation well in advance could be a determining factor if a home will survive a wildfire and prevent tragedy.
Los Angeles County Fire Inspector Gustavo Medina spoke to The Malibu Times and stressed the importance of defensible space.
“It is very important to clear your brush — it can save a house,” Medina said. “If we have two homes and one has brush clearance, it changes the probability of what may be saved. We emphasize brush clearance especially in Malibu. It’s imperative.”
Creating a defensible space is the first step in creating a buffer zone for fires. California Fire officials say to leave 100 feet of defensible space around a home. The first 30 feet around a home needs to be cleared of dead or dying leaves and trees, branches and brush. The next 70 feet should be swept of all built up needles, twigs and branches. It is advised to create a separation between trees and shrubs that could catch fire. It is on these low levels that fire authorities say most brush fires start and then climb to higher levels and treetops. Once a fire reaches higher levels, it becomes extremely difficult to fight. During a wind-whipped blaze, embers can travel for miles.
Fire experts from Cal Fire said hardening your home by using construction materials like concrete and steel that can help your home withstand flying embers is a good defense tactic as well as finding weak spots in the construction and taking care to fix those troubled areas. Make sure all needles and leaves are removed from roofs and gutters. Tree limbs need to be trimmed at least six feet from the ground. Woodpiles should be kept away from homes and vegetation and items that could catch fire need to be removed from around and under decks. Creating a defensible space is the homeowner’s responsibility and if a property becomes over grown and dangerous homeowners could be fined.
Landscaping with fire-resistant plants can also help to reduce the spread of fire to your home and according to Cal Fire may help to conserve water as well.
The City of Malibu’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training classes address fire safety during initial meetings of the seven-week course. A summer session is underway now and the city’s emergency services coordinator, Brad Davis, said he encourages local residents to sign up for the next training sessions beginning this fall.
In the event of a fire, Davis said, it is best to be prepared.
“You have to take some responsibility [with evacuation plans],” Davis said. “We don’t know where a fire would be coming from.”
Davis said every family should develop their own individual evacuation plan in the event of an emergency.
“Don’t sit back and wait for an evacuation plan from the Sheriff’s Department,” Davis added. “In the plan, include taking pets and leaving enough time to get out of the house.”
According to the Red Cross, only 26 percent of families have actually developed and practiced a home fire escape plan. Many people don’t realize that yearly in the United States, 20,000 people are injured in home fires. The Red Cross also said eighty percent of Americans do not realize that home fires are the single most common disaster across the nation. Having a working smoke alarm reduces one’s chances of dying in a fire by nearly half.
This year’s official fire season not only has cost lives, but statewide more than 100 homes have been lost so far. As of Friday, 4,000 firefighters were actively battling 12 major wildfires throughout California. State officials say the drought and dead trees stricken by bark beetle could make for a grim fire season that while may officially end in December is still no reason to stop being prepared.