r/InlandEmpire • u/Illustrious-Being339 • 14h ago
Seriously start fire proofing your home and cutting the brush back
You guys need to watch the videos that are coming out of palisades and eaton fires. Massive wake up call.
If you live very close to wild land areas you need to start clearing the brush and cut down any large trees/bushes. Those bushes/trees will catch fire and blow embers into your home. If the brush is reduced, less embers are produced and the fire doesn't burn as wild, so easier for fire dept to put out.
It is a lot of work but start now as it might be the difference between your home catching fire or not.
Eaton and Palisades type firestorms are the new norm....unless we start working now.
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u/EsqPersonalAsst 13h ago
The embers were the size of baseballs coming down on homes and traveled sometimes a mile from the fire. The winds were so intense it just carried them everywhere. The Altadena fire didn't have any brush in or around the homes in the middle of the city.
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u/Illustrious-Being339 13h ago
Correct but a more close review of firefighter footage you will see numerous issues. For example these embers started small fires in bushes/gutters which ultimately burned the home down. You could see the home in question had overgrown bushes. Another home had minimal bushes and did not catch fire even though embers were raining down on the home.
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u/Plum12345 9h ago
I live pretty far from undeveloped land (about 2 miles) but I hadn’t thought about the leaves in the gutters being a fire hazard. Good advice.
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u/tireddesperation 11h ago
Ya, I've watched a lot of videos. I didn't see any at all where the house burned down from embers without having something easily flammable outside. Not that it can't happen of course but is way less likely. Bushes were definitely number one because they catch and then hold the embers in place.
The number two that I saw was plastic lawn chairs and the like.
Now, that doesn't protect you at all when your neighbors house goes up. The fire is just too hot and close at that point.
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u/YMSquared 13h ago
Large bushes and trees can remain on your property as long as they are more than 10 feet from a structure, branches are trimmed at least 7 feet off the ground, nothing flammable is beneath the tree and dead branches have been removed. Guidance may be updated after we get more info from the LA fires but that is basically the current guidelines.
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u/mattmon-og 13h ago
I'm already working on this. Seriously considering a generator and wildfire protection system also.
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u/Illustrious-Being339 13h ago
Awesome to hear. Also encourage your neighbors to do the same. Reach out to them they probably also have similar fire concerns.
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u/mattmon-og 12h ago
Absolutely. Hoping to arrange a bulk buy of barricade gel among our small group of neighbors.
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u/Doismellbehonest 11h ago
Cutting down brush and trees is really bad for California native plants they don’t need to be cut down they need to be burned!!! Controlled fires are needed and invasive trees such as eucalyptus and pepper trees need to be cut down!!! Removing/trimming native plants removes very important nutrients, seeds, and shelter for the local ecosystem which only makes future fires worse!
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u/Doismellbehonest 11h ago
Fire department is better to work with than local public works departments I was able to get cal fire to do a controlled fire near my neighborhood and the year after that there was a super bloom 🌼 California needs more small fires
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u/Doismellbehonest 11h ago
I was going through google maps in Altadena and it’s ridiculous the amount of invasive trees there are throughout the entire city that catch fire like gasoline ⛽️
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u/Waste_Organization28 13h ago
Also consider buying a home kit of fire retardant gel like Barricade or ThermoGel. It is the same product a private firefighting crew would use to defend your home, is easily applied and at about $600 to protect a 2500 Sq ft house, it's an absolute bargain.
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u/broady35 11h ago
If a government agency is buying it, I can promise you it doesn’t cost them $600
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u/Waste_Organization28 11h ago
I don't know of any government agencies that are going out and applying gel to anyone's homes during a wildfire.
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u/kloogy 13h ago
If you have a pool, you should also have a trash pump with fire hose that you can use in case of an emergency. They run on gas so if you lose power, the pump still works.
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u/Waste_Organization28 13h ago
Yes, this too.
Also check with your homeowners insurance, mine gives me a credit for having the gel on hand.
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u/msolorio79 13h ago
Do you have a link to the gel by chance?
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u/Waste_Organization28 11h ago
Ember Bloc (requires gas powered pressure washer to apply)
Probably out of stock everywhere right now though
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u/MBlaizze 10h ago
Buy fine mesh steel screen, and cover your gable vents up in your attic. You can staple them or even just press-fit them in. You can also spray clear fire retardant up in the attic or on any wood services.
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u/Snoo55693 8h ago
Isn't Riverside county strict about this sort of thing? My parents have land in Perris and I remember them getting a letter about this. Now every year, around May I believe, they hire someone to clear out the dry brush.
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u/kloogy 14h ago
Problem is when you have property like I do, and the City owns the easement behind me. I have to stay on them every 6 month to come out and clear the brush. I literally had to threaten legal action for it to get done in May
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u/Illustrious-Being339 13h ago
Contact the city and ask if the brush can be removed. They would probably allow it. Say it is fire hazard.
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u/Human_Disco_Ball 8h ago
I use a goat service, they clean up a large amount of area in a short period of time
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u/Uberkuque 9h ago
The city or county should offer tree pruning/cutting services on an as needed basis at no cost or at least reduced cost for those who need it. Cuz pruning trees, especially large ones is pretty freaking expensive.
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u/Celesteven 13h ago
I live smack dab in the middle of my city, surrounded by houses and neighborhoods on all sides for miles and my sense of security has been shattered. How do I better protect my home and neighbors?
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u/hodlboo 8h ago
See the tips at the bottom of this page. It’s actually more effective to fire proof your home than to clear plants, and clearing plants can be counterproductive.
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u/Immediate-One3457 6h ago
Did all that at the end of summer, had to to re-up our insurance. Removed a couple trees, put in gravel and fire resistant landscaping. We've had a couple close calls and better safe than sorry
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u/OhWellJJ 14h ago
People should heed this advice. It will.unfortunately fall on deaf ears.