How California homeowners can cope with wildfire season
NFPA offers tips to prepare, protect homes
In recent weeks, a number of communities across San Diego County in southern California have been affected by extensive wildfire activity that has scorched more than 9,000 acres and burned at least 30 homes, according to news reports. In some areas, thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate their homes. As high-fire danger warnings continue across Southern California, wildfire safety experts from the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) Firewise® Communities Program and the International Association of Fire Chiefs’ (IAFC) Ready, Set, Go! (RSG) Program encourage residents to prepare their homes for a wildfire, maintain a situational awareness of the fires and evacuate promptly when told by authorities, or earlier if they feel threatened.
California residents typically brace for wildfire season in the summer and fall months, but a crippling drought -- the worst in 100 years --record high temperatures and strong winds have been blamed for the increased amount of wildfire activity across the state so early in the year.