What is a Hardened Home?
Flying embers destroy homes miles from wildland areas. Prepare (harden) your home now before fire starts. What gives a home the best chance to survive a wildfire are its construction materials and the quality of defensible space surrounding it. Embers from a wildfire may find the weak link in your home’s fire protection and gain the upper hand because of a small, overlooked or seemingly inconsequential factor. Home Hardening will reduce the chance of ignition from direct flame, firebrand showers and radiant heat coming from outside of the defensible zone.
Embers can lodge and ignite in, on, or under balconies built with combustible materials, allowing fire to spread inside the home through nearby walls or windows. Decks are vulnerable to burning embers if they’re made from combustible materials or if there’s a buildup of leaves, dried grass, and debris in the space under the deck.
Embers that escape through uncovered chimney outlets and stovepipes can lodge in a wood shingle roof and start a fire. They can also land in vegetation in your yard or beyond your property line and start a wildfire.
Like decks and balconies, eaves act as heat traps for burning embers during a wildfire. Embers that swirl and gather under open eaves can easily spread fire to your home.
A wood fence or landscape wall attached to the house can lead a wildfire right to your home, especially if plant debris, dead vegetation, or other flammable material has gathered at the bottom of the fence or wall.
Embers that enter through gaps between the garage door and the door frame can ignite flammable items inside, spreading fire to your home and putting your family at risk.
Patio covers come in a variety of materials such as aluminum, canvas, vinyl, wood, and synthetic wood. Choosing a cover made from noncombustible materials helps protect your home from burning embers.
Flying embers can cause leaves, pine needles, and plant debris that collect in rain gutters to catch fire, increasing wildfire risk for your home and family.
The roof is the most vulnerable part of your home because embers that land on it can lodge and start a fire. The type of roofing material used will greatly influence your home’s ability to survive a wildfire.
Embers that enter through uncovered vents will spread wildfire to the inside of your home. Vents in eaves, attics, and molding are particularly vulnerable to flying embers.
How well exterior walls are able to resist wildfire damage depends on the material used to build them. Embers can lodge and ignite in walls made of flammable materials, putting your home at greater risk during a wildfire.
Extreme heat can cause windows to break even before the house is touched by flames, allowing burning embers to enter and spread fire to the inside of your home.