Prepare for Wildfire Indoors
Weekly Tip #5: Identify Your Home's Ember Vulnerabilities
Because we won't be out in the community for the next several weeks, the Tahoe Network is sending out weekly tips on how to prepare for wildfire inside your home.
This Week's Tip: Identify Your Home's Ember Vulnerabilities
Did you know embers are the leading cause of wildfire-related home ignitions?

Embers are small pieces of burning material that can travel by wind and cause spot fires. During a wildfire, embers can travel over a mile ahead of a flame front. Thousands of embers can rain down on your home, and if they come in contact with flammable materials, your home could ignite.

"Home hardening" is the process of preparing your home for wildfire embers by addressing the most vulnerable components and retrofitting them with fire-resistant building materials.

By taking 15 minutes to walk around your home, you can identify its ember vulnerabilities to prepare for and plan home hardening projects.*

*Stay tuned, next week's tip will discuss how to address ember vulnerabilities and make a home hardening project plan!
Walk Around Your Home
Start outside your home and inspect:

  • Fences, decks, exterior siding and eaves
  • Five-foot non-combustible zone (the first five feet around your home)
  • Roof, including gutters and chimneys
  • Entry points such as windows, skylights, and vents

When walking around your home, take note of combustible materials such as wood; locations where embers could enter your home; and areas where flammable debris, such as pine needles or leaf litter, could collect.

Things to look out for:
Fences
❑ Combustible fencing material within 5 feet of your home
Decks
❑ Flammable material (such as firewood) underneath, on, or next to your deck
Exterior Siding
❑ Flammable siding material such as wood boards, panels, or shingles

❑ Flammable material within the first 6 inches between the ground and the start of the siding
Eaves
❑ Open or exposed eaves that could allow ember entry
Five-Foot Non-Combustible Zone
❑ Flammable landscaping such as Manzanita or wood / rubber mulches

❑ Debris such as pine needles, leaves or twigs
Roof
❑ Flammable material such as wood-shake or shingle

❑ Debris such as pine needles, leaves or twigs
Gutters
❑ Debris such as pine needles, leaves or twigs
Chimneys
❑ Chimneys without a mesh screen or covering
Windows & Skylights
❑ Single-pane windows that could easily break from heat exposure

❑ Debris such as pine needles, leaves or twigs gathering around skylights
Vents
❑ Mesh screens larger than 1/8

❑ Gaps that could allow ember entry
Additional Resources


Learn about home ember vulnerabilities.


Learn about California building code and how to build, harden, or retrofit your home for wildfire.


Learn how homes catch fire and how to harden your home to survive an ember storm.


Learn how to prepare for wildfire in the Tahoe Basin.


Thank you for reading our weekly tip, we hope you feel more prepared for wildfire!