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Forest Fires: Beyond the Heat and Hype A Home Fire-Safety Checklist Regularly clean roof surfaces and gutters of needles, leaves and branches to avoid buildup of flammable materials. Remove portions of any tree extending within 10 feet of the flue opening of any wood stove or chimney. Space landscape vegetation so that fire cannot be carried to the structure or surrounding vegetation. Dispose of stove or fireplace ashes and charcoal briquettes only after soaking them in a metal pail of water. Store all combustibles such as firewood, picnic tables and boats well away from structures. Connect all garden hoses to an outlet. Remove branches from trees close to homes to a height of 15 feet. Keep these fire tools handy: a ladder long enough to reach the roof, shovel, rake and water bucket. Store propane tanks far enough away from buildings for valves to be shut off in case of fire. Keep area around tanks clear of flammable vegetation. Identify at least two different entrance and exit routes. From Forest Fires: Beyond the Heat and Hype Up to Top HOME | Email Signup | About Us | Contact Us | Terms of Use | © 2008 Sierra Club