Photo Credit: Sally DiSciullo / Special to the Sky-Hi News
With a historically mild winter and less snowpack than usual, Colorado towns are gearing up for a potentially bad wildfire season. Already, Grand County has seen an out of control grass fire outside of Hot Sulphur Springs. Thankfully that fire was contained quickly, and no one was injured, but it did come dangerously close to one home.
With the season just beginning, we thought we’d blog about what can you do to reduce the risk of your home falling victim to wildfires.
Credit: ReadyforWildfire.org
10 Tips to Help Protect Your Home from Wildfires:
- Keep a 30-foot radius of your home clear of all combustible materials such as, wood, brush, and leaves
- Remove any and all dead plants, grass, and weeds, (especially those within 30 feet of your house, or what many experts refer to as ‘Zone 1’)
- Remove twigs and dead leaves from gutters – sparks can travel through the air…and twigs and dead leaves act as a perfect fire starter.
- Create distance between the ground and the bottom branches of trees and shrubs. Should grass catch on fire, this distance will help prevent trees and bushes from catching fire. Grass on fire is a bit easier to control and put out than a tree on fire!
- Remove any dead limbs and branches on your property including those over your house. Keeping these around and you’re just asking for trouble.
- Keep trees at least 15 feet away from your house. Not only with this assist with fire prevention and control, but it will reduce the risk of trees damaging your house when storms hit.
- Do not allow bushes or flammable plants to grow under windows. (Pull them out, or trim them for safety!)
- Put space between all items that could catch fire such as trees, shrubs, furniture, and swing sets. Should a fire threaten your home, space between these items will improve your odds of fighting the fire.
- Plant fire-resistant plants around your house to reduce the chance of catching and spreading fire. Not only will these plants improve your property value, most take less water, saving you time and money!
- Cut grass within a 100-foot radius of your house to 4 inches or less. This area is referred to as Zone 2. Should a fire threaten your property, Zone 2 will act as your first line of defense. (Be sure to mow early in the morning when it is still cool and damp, and never on a windy day!)
Credit: www.readyforwildfires.org
For more information about protecting your home from wildfires visit: www.readyforwildfire.org
Rocky Mountain Catastrophe and Restoration is here to help! We specialize in all areas of home maintenance and repair in Grand and Routt Counties. Worried about dealing with your homeowners insurance company? Rocky Mountain Catastrophe can work with you and your insurance company to get your repair covered. Call:(970) 722-7744, Email:[email protected] or find us on Facebook to learn more.
