May 22, 2025
Wildfires are California's most common natural disaster, and up to 90% of home losses experienced during wildfires are due to wind-driven flying embers. The Loma Prieta Forest Protection Committee advocates home hardening as the most proven strategy to protect property and rejects the false solution of environmentally harmful and extreme backcountry forest thinning.
No housing materials are completely fireproof, but materials to enhance a home’s fire resistance and lower the risk of losing it to wildfire include:
- Foundations composed of insulated concrete forms are the most fire-resistant.
- Fiberglass or hemp insulation is suitable for protecting against fires. However, the former releases toxic fumes if it burns, while the latter is non-toxic but currently more costly and difficult to find.
- Materials like stucco, metal, or fiber cement siding are recommended for home exteriors.
- Fire-resistant roofing options like metal roof tiles installed over a fire-resistant underlayment, clay tiles with any openings sealed to prevent embers from entering, and slate tiles, although due to their heaviness, may warrant additional structural support. The most popular option, fiberglass-based asphalt shingles, and the more environmentally friendly recycled rubber tiles can release toxins if they burn.
- Consider gutter guards to prevent leaves from accumulating in gutters
- Ember-resistant vents that block the intrusion of embers and flame into spaces in and under a structure. Vent mesh sizes should not exceed ¼”, and, in designated very high-risk fire hazard zones, ⅛”.
- Double-pane windows are recommended over single-pane windows, as the latter are more likely to break in response to high temperatures and allow embers and flames to enter. Tempered glass is even more fire-resistant but comes with certain disadvantages. Fire-rated windows are the most fire-resistant, but they also have some downsides. Mesh screens over windows can also improve resistance to heat and embers.
- Consider the potential intrusion of embers through dog doors and prepare to secure them closed if threatened by wildfire.
- Roof sprinkler systems have limited value
Next: Landscaping in Fire Country