The Spur Fire in the mining community of Bagdad, Arizonahas demolished over 25 structures and homes, forcing the entire town to evacuate. Arizona State Forestry said forward progress has been stopped. The wildfire has burned about 150 acres and is 25% contained as of Friday morning.
Jun 15, 2021 to Jun 17, 2021
With fire season already beginning in parts of the West, Washington State University Extension Forestry experts say it’s never too late to take steps to protect your home and forests.
Extension educators train landowners to safeguard their property by minimizing fuels in the forest and eliminating combustibles in the vicinity of the home. These methods can substantially lower risks from all but the most intense fires.
Prepare zones of defense
Prioritize the first 40 feet around your home, advises Sean Alexander, WSU Extension’s Northeast Washington Forester. He and fellow Extension foresters follow the National Fire Protection Association’s Firewise USA guidelines, instructing homeowners to defend the home ignition zones, a triple set of boundaries that include the first five feet out from your home’s exterior walls; the next 30 feet; and the extended landscape beyond.
Wildlife preparedness survey results preview
At the beginning of the 2020 fire season, we asked residents in five northeastern California counties about efforts they were taking to prepare for wildfires and what barriers they perceived in reaching their goals.
Nearly all indicated that wildfire had impacted their community within the past decade.
Almost half of the residents indicated their home insurance had been affected in some way (e.g. insurance rate increase, dropped policy) by wildfire risk.
Most residents were creating and maintaining defensible space on their property by doing the work themselves or paying for it out of their own pocket – very little was grant funded.
2019 defensible space community workday in the Golden Bear neighborhood, South Lake Tahoe
By residing in the Wildland Urban Interface (the zone where natural environments intersect human development), we take on the extra responsibility of living with wildfire.
However, living with wildfire at Lake Tahoe isn t just an individual journeyâit s a team effort between ourselves, our neighbors, and federal, state, and local agencies. It is a partnership, and we all play a role.
Saturday, May 1 is Wildfire Community Preparedness Day, a national campaign that encourages people and organizations everywhere to come together on a single day to take action to raise awareness and reduce wildfire risks.
Sonora, CA – Do you have your 100 feet of defensible space on your property completed yet?
As an incentive, the Tuolumne County OES Department has set up a “Firewise” information booth in Courthouse Park in Sonora today (Tuesday, April 13) from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The national Firewise USA® recognition program provides a collaborative framework to help neighbors in a geographic area get organized, find direction, and take action to increase the ignition resistance of their homes and community and to reduce wildfire risks at the local level, according to county OES officials.
On-hand to answer questions will be staff with the Tuolumne County OES, local Firewise Program representatives, and Tuolumne County Fire representatives. They will also detail how the community and neighborhoods can initiate a Firewise program and about the importance of wildfire preparedness. Click here or contact Tuolumne County Office of Emergency Services at 209-533-5511 for more wildfire prevention an