The fires in Los Angeles that have destroyed over 12,000 structures serve as a stark reminder for those living in increasingly hotter and drier regions of the U.S.—it is crucial to establish defensible space and strengthen their homes against fires.

Experts in wildfire safety and insurance emphasize that protecting a home doesn’t require clear-cutting trees or surrounding it with barren gravel. Instead, it involves applying principles of defensible space to give homeowners a better chance against advancing wildfires.

“You can preserve your home’s beauty while still creating effective defenses,” stated Roy Wright, President and CEO of the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety.

Wright stressed that these guidelines are not intended to place blame on victims of devastating fires, as the reasons why some homes succumb to flames while others remain unharmed can often seem random and unpredictable.

“I don’t assert that defensible space would have altered the outcome of the Pacific Palisades fire,” he remarked. “When winds reach 50 to 70 miles per hour down a slope, you’ve got all the elements for a dangerous fire.”

The Los Angeles fires could be likened to a Category 4 hurricane, where even the best preparations may not ensure safety. “However, we encounter many ‘Category 1 fires’,” which are typically survivable with adequate preparation, he noted.

Understanding Defensible Spaces

The term “defensible space” originated in California to delineate areas where firefighters could effectively protect a home from wildfires, explained Jessamyn Hise, community outreach manager for Fire Safe Marin, a non-profit organization in Northern California.

This concept has evolved into various strategies that enable homes to defend themselves against threats from fire.

Moreover, defensible spaces are not confined to California anymore; their relevance has expanded across the nation, remarked Wright. States like Oregon, New Mexico, and Colorado have either enacted laws or allocated funds for homeowners to reinforce their properties. Wildfire occurrences in Hawaii, New York, and Tennessee showcase that it’s a widespread issue, beyond just the West.

Essentially, defensible space focuses on removing flammable materials from around a home and ensuring that embers cannot enter through vents in roofs and crawl spaces.

One critical step is ensuring that nothing flammable is within five feet of the house and any attached structures.

Research supports the effectiveness of defensible space. For instance, during the 2022 Oak fire in Mariposa County, California, homes adhering to defensible space guidelines had a survival rate six times higher, according to the California Wildfire & Forest Resilience Task Force.

“When rebuilding Pacific Palisades, there’s an opportunity to construct in a way that preserves the community’s aesthetic, maintains its original charm, and vastly increases resistance to future wildfires,” commented Todd Lando, a Battalion Chief wildfire specialist with the Central Marin Fire Department.

“People often dislike being told what to do by authorities,” remarked Lando. “However, our goal is to help them recognize actionable changes that minimally disrupt their lives but significantly improve their home’s safety.”

In some cases, this involves shielding homeowners from regulations that could increase their wildfire risks, Wright noted.

“In Colorado, homeowners’ associations had to revise their laws,” he explained. “Now, they can’t require homeowners to make choices that could elevate their fire hazards,” such as mandating wooden fences or specific landscaping choices.

Below are essential practices to protect homes in regions susceptible to wildfires.

Embers pose a big threat

While a large fire approaching a home is obvious danger, it’s the embers that often ignite flames, especially during a wildfire’s ember storm.

“Embers can range from the size of your thumb to the size of your hand,” explained Wright. “These embers can travel far – they can even fall a mile or more away from the fire.”

If an ember lands near a house, “that’s a fire very close to your home,” he warned.

As many Americans have learned in recent years, “fires can jump,” said Hise.

Establish a 5-foot buffer around your home

The most crucial part of creating a defensible area is known as Zone Zero. This is the five-foot radius around a home that should be free of flammable materials.

“Studies show that between 60% and 90% of home fires start within five feet of the house,” remarked Lando.

The objective is to eliminate anything that could easily ignite if an ember falls nearby. “You want any potential fire source to extinguish quickly,” said Wright. “That’s why this five-foot zone must be completely non-flammable.”

“The aim is to make a house less susceptible to catching fire,” said Hise. When she advises homeowners, she emphasizes these key areas:

• Trimming trees that extend close to the roofline.
• Regularly checking for dry leaves or pine needles that may accumulate, especially near the house or in gutters. Installing gutter guards can help.
• Removing fallen branches and debris.
• Installing vents in attics and basements that prevent embers from entering.
• Ensuring wooden fences do not touch the house. “As demonstrated in the Palisades fire, even distant homes can ignite due to fence lines transferring flames,” noted Hise. Ideally, the final five feet of a fence should be metal.
• Eliminating flammable doormats, brooms, and outdoor furniture within five feet of the house. “It’s surprising how easily these ignite; they’re like kindling,” stated Lando.
• Ensuring that the bottom six inches of the exterior walls are made of non-combustible materials like brick or concrete. This serves both as termite protection and fire safety.

Manage ladder fuels

Beyond the 5-foot zone, it’s acceptable to have trees, but they need proper maintenance, said Lando. “Trees provide shade and help maintain soil moisture.”

However, trees and tall plants must be spaced out, especially more flammable varieties like junipers, Italian cypress, and bamboo, according to Hise. Clearing the area beneath these plants of leaves, needles, and branches is crucial to prevent fires from climbing into their canopies.

“We recommend trimming trees up to about one-third of their height from the ground, to inhibit any low fires from spreading upwards,” Lando advised.

Healthy trees can remain, but should be kept at least five to ten feet away from the house for safety, according to Wright.

The Zones beyond Zone 0

Fire safety experts consider homes within concentric zones. Zone 0 is the closest, followed by Zone 1, which extends from five to 30 feet away. This area should be “lean, clean, and green,” according to Lando.

While lawns are acceptable, incorporating hardscape elements like gravel paths can also minimize fire risks.

It’s also important to eliminate flammable materials and vegetation around fences, storage sheds, outdoor furniture, and play areas. Liquid propane tanks should have a clearance of at least 10 feet.

Zone 2 stretches from 30 to 100 feet from the house, acting as an outer defense area. Here, the focus is on reducing fuel sources by clearing dead grass, weeds, and promoting fire-safe native plants. All wood piles should have a minimum of 10 feet of clearance on all sides.

Zone 3 is the access zone, which should be clear to ensure safe passage for both residents evacuating and emergency responders entering, even under ember rains. This includes considering vertical movement, as fire trucks have height requirements.

Lastly – Keep the garage door closed

Shockingly, many homes that are otherwise well-prepared for fire still catch flames because owners forget to close their garage doors when evacuating.

“We’ve seen numerous individuals leave their garage doors open during evacuations,” shared Lando. “This can lead to your home being destroyed.”

It’s often not the homeowner’s fault, he explained. Most homes now have electronic garage door openers. If a fire causes a power outage, these openers fail, necessitating manual operation of the door.

Unfortunately, during an emergency, people might not have time to get out of their vehicles to manually shut the door, resulting in them leaving it open as they flee.

Sadly, not everyone can manually open their garage door.

“We’ve witnessed tragic cases of elderly individuals who died stuck in their garages because they couldn’t operate the door,” said Lando.

While some criticize California for its strict regulations, he has witnessed the benefits of a law enacted in 2019 that mandates battery backup systems for automatic garage doors.

“This change has saved both lives and homes,” he emphasized.