There is currently a severe drought in California and we are already seeing the devastating effects of that in San Diego County. Recently, several wind and heat-aided wildfires ravaged parts of San Diego County, burning thousands of acres of tinder-dry vegetation, causing millions of dollars in damage and destroying 8 single family homes and one apartment building. Unfortunately, the fire took the life of at least one person.
Although many of the blazes have been contained or doused, the threat of wildfire in the area still remains high. The Jurewitz Law Group Injury & Accident Lawyers in San Diego went to ready.gov to provide you with some tips on preventative measures you can take before a wildfire strikes. Here are a few:
- Make a plan. You should have an emergency kit at the ready and you need to make a family communications plan.
- Landscape your home with fire in mind. Pick vegetation that may help contain a fire, rather than fuel it.
- Clean your roofs and gutters.
- Use fire resistant materials on your roof or coat combustible materials on roofs with fire-retardant chemicals.
- Have fire extinguishers in your home and teach your family how to use them.
- Seal openings into your house (i.e. openings beneath the house, under porches and decks and attics) with 1/8-inch mesh screen. What many people don’t realize is that often homes in the midst of a wildfire burn from the inside-out after burning embers are whipped into unprotected openings.
- Have a ladder that will reach your roof. Also, clear away flammable items from around the house
For more information on what do before, during and after a wildfire, please check out ready.gov for a more comprehensive list of wildfire do’s and don’ts. If you are caught in a wildfire, please evacuate your home when told to do so. Most of those who lose their lives in wildfires die while trying to protect their homes after an evacuation order.
We offer our sincere condolences to those who lost their homes in the latest round of area fires and are heartbroken at the senseless loss of life. A few hours of prep work can save your family and your home during a wildfire. We urge everybody to take precautions in what promises to be a very dangerous fire season in Southern California.
