Wildfires in California are prevalent because of harsh weather conditions. California is known to have dry, windy, and hot weather during spring until late autumn making it prone to wildfires. If you are based in California and you want to prevent wildfires from occurring, you came to the right place. Here at Defensible Services, we will be sharing an article discussing how wildfires start and how to prevent them. Make sure to keep reading below to find out more information.
Wildfires can easily spread throughout millions of acres of land. Wildfire season in the United States lasts from June until September, especially in California. If you own a home or land in California, you must hire a company that offers services such as land clearing and fire mitigation to prevent fires from spreading and destroying your property.
The destruction caused by wildfires has increased for the past two decades. This could be caused by extreme temperatures brought about by climate change. The hotter and drier the area, the higher is the possibility for a wildfire to occur. Since the population in the United States is constantly on the rise, more families are building their homes in rural and wilderness areas, which means a lot of individuals, homes, and structures are at risk of forest fires. We should take the time to learn how wildfires start and what we can do to prevent them from occurring.
Wildfires are commonly referred to as natural disasters; however, only around 10 to 15 percent occur in nature on their own. Around 85 to 90 percent of forest fires occur because of humans who are guilty of unattended campfires, debris fires, discarded cigarettes, fireworks, and arson.
Natural wildfires can occur during dry weather and droughts. During these conditions, green vegetation in forests can become extremely dry, flammable fuel which can easily catch fire from a small spark and is often fueled by strong winds and warm temperatures that can help cause combustion and spread the fire quickly. A tiny spark caused by lightning, arson, downed power lines, unattended campfires, and discarded cigarettes can easily cause a wildfire to start in an area.
Different conditions that must be present for a wildfire to burn are the following: fuel, Oxygen, and heat source. Firefighters refer to these conditions as the fire triangle.
- Fuel – Any flammable material that is located near wildfires, such as bushes, shrubs, grasses, dry trees, and even homes. If a specific area has a lot of fuel, the stronger and more intense the fire will be. Out of all the states in the United States, California is the most wildfire-prone. It has been calculated around 259,148 acres of land were lost to 8,194 wildfires that happened in 2019.
- Oxygen – Fire needs oxygen to continuously burn. California wildfires are usually worsened because of the hot and dry Santa Ana winds which are known for carrying a spark for miles.
- Heat sources – Anything that causes a tiny spark that starts the wildfire and causes the fuel to become hot enough to ignite. Heat sources can be either of the following: lightning, unattended campfires, debris fires, discarded cigarettes, and even sunlight can provide enough heat needed to start a wildfire.
Wildfires occur in the western states where dry climate, high temperatures, and thunderstorms can provide the right conditions. California, Colorado, Idaho, Montano, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming are some of the states in the western part of the United States that experience lots of wildfires every year.
How to prevent wildfires
Here are some of the tips to do during wildfire season (From June to September)
- Follow local laws about open fires, especially campfires. Irresponsible campers that leave their campfires unattended have caused a lot of wildfires over the years.
- Remove all flammable objects surrounding the fire. Get rid of twigs, leaves, and grass in the surrounding areas of the fire.
- Do not leave any unattended fires such as campfires, debris fires, etc. Fires should be controlled and not left alone.
- Properly dispose of hot charcoal, cigarettes, etc.
- Extinguish all fires; do not leave anything burning especially those that are near fuel sources. (dried twigs, leaves, branches)
Check out the following steps to protect your family and home from wildfires.
- Create a fire-safe zone around your home. Remove all vegetation and debris on the surrounding area of your home, it should be at least 30 feet from your house and any outbuildings in your property.
- Cut back and trim the lower limbs of trees that are inside the fire-safe zone of your home. Trees, like evergreens, can catch fire quickly and easily especially, during dry and hot months and they can burn faster because of the strong winds.
- Cut off limbs that may overhand the chimney or the roof of your home.
- Clean the gutters of your home, remove all leaves, twigs, needles, barks, as they can easily catch fire.
- You must properly store all firewood in the fire safe zone. The roofing and building materials of your home must be fire-resistant.
- Your home and the driveway must be easily accessed and found by firefighters. The home and roads must be clear. Remove all limbs and trees on the surrounding areas of your driveway.
- Avoid open burning near your area and it should always be supervised. All fires must be drowned before leaving the area. Make sure that it is completely safe and dead out.
- Properly dispose of wood ashes by throwing them inside a metal bucket and drowning them with water before getting rid of them.
- When making a campfire, it should be in an open area and far from any flammables.
- Do not set up any pyrotechnics near bushes, trees, dried grasses, and shrubs.
- Do not throw lit cigarettes from a moving car. It should be properly disposed of.
- Check the daily weather and drought conditions as they can affect the flammability of vegetation in your area.
- If you see a wildfire, keep calm, call 911, and report the fire as fast as possible to the fire department. Make sure to tell the emergency dispatcher about everything you saw and where you saw it. If you see anyone or anything suspicious near the fire, take note of it and relay it as well.
- Clear and remove all trees, shrubs, bushes near your home. You must avail of land clearing and fire mitigation services from a reliable company in California such as Defensible Services.
What is Fire Mitigation?
California is one of the states in the west that is at high risk of fire danger. High winds, high temperatures, and dry climates are some conditions that are ideal for wildfires.
Fire mitigation is a sequence of steps that can be done to reduce the risk of your property from a wildfire consuming it. It is done by properly assessing the property for any risks surrounding it, recognizing the danger of wildfire, and mitigating them by creating defensible space in your property. It also includes the proper storing of materials like firewood in your property, checking the health of the trees surrounding your property whether they need trimming or removal, and designating 3 zones of protection in your defensible space.
A professional company like Defensible Services offers fire mitigation services in California. At Defensible Services, we can provide an assessment for your property. Make sure to keep your family and your home safe from wildfires by allowing us to assess your property and clear out the land for risks. We are offering land clearing and fire mitigation services. We can help you clear all the debris, wood, bushes, shrubs, and old trees that can act as fuel for wildfires.
If you need help with removing debris, clearing your land, and removing any fire hazard materials that can make your home prone to wildfires in California, you can consult Defensible Services. If you want to hire us or if you have questions regarding our company or the services that we are currently offering, please send us a message by filling up this contact form here. You can check out this link if you want to know about the different services that we are currently offering.
Wildfires can destroy properties, homes, land, and even claim plenty of lives. California has always been fire-prone because of its dry and hot climate plus the climate change that has been currently happening all over the world. The dry winds from Santa Ana, low humidity, and high temperatures are crucial factors for wildfires.
If you are interested in hiring us for our services, please contact us as soon as possible. You can call us at (530) 990-9103 or send us an email at defensibleservices@gmail.com. We are located at 923 Bille Rd Paradise, CA 95969 United States of America. If you need land clearing and fire mitigation services for your land, you must choose Defensible Services only. We will be happy to help you clear the land and prevent any wildfires from occurring.