With the recent fire in Laguna Niguel, which burned several homes, we have received a lot of questions. The most common question has been, how can you help fireproof your home? I wish there was a siding or roof material that was completely fire proof (and there are some that can handle a lot of heat). Ultimately, when a fire gets hot enough, it will burn through most anything. Tile roofs are great and concrete siding is wonderful (and it looks like wood). Are there any other preventative maintenance items home owners could do to help reduce the risk of a fire burning down their home?
Several years ago, I looked into this and came across an article from Firewise.org, which discussed a number of preventive maintenance items. The one item I keep coming back to is boxing in the eaves of your home. The eave is the intersection between the exterior wall and the roof. It helps protects your house from rain hitting the exterior walls. There are typically vents that go into your attic under the eaves.
What we witnessed in this last fire were that embers blew under the eaves of a few homes and into the attic, essentially burning the home from the inside out. Most homes have these vents to prevent mold from growing in your attic. And, most homes have a wire mesh on the vents to keep critters out. Both are correct to help maintain your home. One of the issues I am learning is the heat gets trapped under the eave and embers can enter the vents. So, what can you do? You could double check the wire mesh to see if it is small enough to prevent embers from entering your attic space. Another option you could look into is boxing in your eaves to help prevent the heat from having a place to begin burning the underside of your roof. But, before you do any major construction, it may be a good idea to have a conversation with your contractor or local fire department to see if it all makes sense.
As we head into the summer and things are heating up, please take the opportunity to look around your home and make a plan. Whether it is an emergency plan, evacuation plan, home improvement plan or vacation plans.
As we celebrate Memorial Day weekend, if you see or talk to any of our current or retired military personnel, please thank them for all they have done for us.
