Cal Fire recently announced that California has experienced an abnormally early fire season with more than 228,000 acres already burned throughout the state of California, more than 20 times the amount burned by this point last year, according to the Cal Fire website.
Here in the Tri-Community, we experienced a close encounter with the Vista wildfire that ignited on the morning of Sunday, July 7, in Lytle Creek and burned over 2,000 acres. While it was only 3.75 miles from the eastern edge of Wrightwood, it was a stark reminder of how important it is to be prepared for wildfires. Here are some tips for being wildfire-safe in the Tri-Community.
Defensible Space
According to the Cal Fire website, “The first five feet from your home is the most important. Keeping the area closest to buildings, structures, and decks clear will prevent embers from igniting materials that can spread the fire to your home.” They suggest clearing debris such as leaves or pine needles from your roof and gutter and moving firewood and lumber away from your home.
The next critical zone is within 30 feet of your home. Remove dead plants and clear leaves, pine needles, and pine cones from your yard. Maintain anything within 100 feet of your home by trimming trees regularly and clearing any fallen branches from your yard. The San Bernardino County Fire Hazard Abatement program conducts property surveys to identify fire hazards on at-risk properties. You can view a map of the property owners given 30 days to abate violations at: lus.sbcounty.gov/fire-hazard-abatement-home/fha-maps/. If you received a notice, there is no need to contact the County. The Fire Hazard Abatement staff will follow up and re-inspect the property to ensure compliance.
The California Native Plant Society has created a firewise landscaping guide that follows the three defensible space zones to help keep your home safe along with tips on pruning, planting, hardscaping, and irrigation for a visually appealing, yet fire safe landscape. Visit their website for the firewise guide and more information about native plants at www.cnps.org.
Fire Alerts in the Area
It’s important to find valid information on nearby fires. One valuable resource is the Watch Duty app, a free, volunteer-run nonprofit app that alerts users of nearby wildfires and firefighting efforts in real-time. Another website is inciweb.wildfire.gov which is a government run incident reporting system and offers an emergency incident map showing all current active wildfires, including the number of acres burned and the percent contained. While San Bernardino County has a countywide Telephone Emergency Notification System (TENS) for residents to receive notifications via telephone and text messages about impending dangers. Sign up for alerts on their website at www.sbcfire.org/alertwarning/.
Prepare for an Evacuation
San Bernardino County also offers a free preparedness app to help residents stay prepared and protect their loved ones during an emergency. The app includes a five-step family emergency plan, live information on evacuation routes and shelters, and instructions on creating an emergency supply kit. Download the app for free at www.sbcfire.org/alertwarning/.
The Wrightwood Fire Safe Council has a printable evacuation checklist for what to include in your emergency preparedness bag, in case there’s no cell phone service during a wildfire. They also offer a pre-evacuation list to prepare your home before evacuating. Tips include leaving exterior and interior lights on so your home is visible to firefighters in smoke or darkness. Don’t leave sprinklers on or water running as they can affect critical water pressure, but connect garden hoses to outside water valves or spigots for use by firefighters. Also, fill water buckets and place them around the house. Be sure to shut off gas at the meter and turn off pilot lights before evacuating your home.
More resource materials are available on their website at www.wrightwoodfsc.com or at the Wrightwood Fire Safe Council meeting on the third Tuesday of each month in the Wrightwood Community Service Building. The next meeting will be Tuesday, August 20, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. where there will be an open feedback forum with the Angeles National Forest to discuss the Sheep Fire Restoration Project for the burn scar located off of Hwy 2 in Wrightwood.
