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February 27, 2025

From Ember to Ash: How to Make Your Home More Resilient to Wildfires

Extinguish the flames with these risk mitigation strategies to protect your home.

Summary

Wildfires are increasingly a year-round threat across the country, causing unprecedented fire activity even in regions once deemed less susceptible, such as the Northeast.
The primary threat during wildfires is from embers, underscoring the need for homeowners to implement fire-resilient structural measures, defensible spacing, and landscaping strategies.
Homeowners are encouraged to consult with their property insurance and risk advisors to help mitigate risks, such as upgrading roofing, siding, and other materials.

It’s time to face the facts: Wildfire season is no longer limited to one season in the U.S.; it’s a year-round catastrophic occurrence. This simple point was made abundantly clear in early January 2025, when seven fire incidents in Los Angeles County resulted in 29 fatalities, the destruction of over 16,000 structures, and the burning of more than 57,000 acres. These fires forced the evacuation of nearly 200,000 people and took three weeks to contain. Following the Southern California wildfire in January 2025, we must confront our new reality.

Fires are occurring across the country year-round at an alarming rate, with increasing frequency and intensity. In 2024, CAL FIRE and U.S. Forest Service figures indicated that over one million acres burned in California, significantly higher than the 308,000 acres recorded in 2023. In Texas, the Smokehouse Creek Fire in February 2024 became the largest fire in state history, burning more than one million acres. At the start of 2025, the Southern California wildfires took over three weeks to contain. Factors such as climate change, prolonged droughts, and rising temperatures contribute to the growing prevalence of these devastating events.

As conditions become more conducive to wildfires, regions once considered less susceptible are now experiencing unprecedented fire activity. For example, the Northeast faced numerous wildfires in 2024: New Jersey reported 537 wildfires that burned 4,500 acres, New York had 60 wildfires that burned a total of 2,100 acres, and Connecticut experienced 70 wildfires.

Recent discoveries indicate that embers pose the greatest threat to structures during wildfires. This fact is often overlooked in public discussions. In fact, 90% of structure fires start from embers rather than the wildfire front itself.

Stronger together

As wildfires escalate, it’s crucial for communities and homeowners to understand the risks and take proactive measures to enhance the resilience of their homes and properties. Those in wildfire-prone areas must implement steps toward home hardening and create defensible spaces. Together, we can work toward a safer tomorrow.

Research and scientific evidence show that proactive measures should be taken before a wildfire occurs to improve the chances of a home surviving a rapidly advancing fire. This 12-minute video highlights actions homeowners and neighborhoods can take to build more resilient communities.

A key consideration when assessing a home’s resilience is how embers could impact your property. All aspects, including the roof, siding, foundation, and landscaping, should be evaluated to ensure your home is as resilient as possible in the event of a wildfire.

Home resiliency tips

If you live in a Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) area, you may have heard the term “home hardening.” This refers to a set of strategies and modifications designed to enhance a home’s resilience to wildfires. This approach focuses on reducing a home’s vulnerability to ignition from direct flames, radiant heat, and embers.

To protect your home from wildfires, we recommend starting with the roof and then evaluating the conditions around your property.

Roofs

Your roof plays a critical role during wildfires. As embers fly toward a structure, many will land on the roof. To minimize your risk, consider these two key tips:

Keep trees five to ten feet away from the roofline to help prevent damage during a wildfire.
Install a noncombustible or a Class A-rated roof.

Wood shake roofs: Homes with wood shake roofs in wildfire-prone areas are not designed to withstand such events, and in the current market, most carriers will not insure homes with these roofs. There are some excellent synthetic products designed to mimic the appearance of wood roofs that are made from recycled materials. These options come with a Class-A rating and greater durability. Once installed, it’s difficult to distinguish them from real wood shake roofs. Learn more about wood shake roofs.

Flat roofs: For homes with flat roofs, two key factors regarding debris should be considered. First, leaves and other debris are highly combustible and can ignite a home during a wildfire. Second, this debris can clog drains, downspouts, scuppers, and other components, hindering proper drainage.

To reduce the risk of a flat roof catching fire:

A licensed contractor should inspect the roof at least once a year, and it should be checked every few weeks to ensure leaves and other debris are removed.

Gutter guards

If your home has gutters, installing gutter guards is essential to prevent debris buildup. When embers settle in this debris, the risk of your home catching fire increases.

Windows

During a wildfire, windows play a critical role in home protection. Radiant heat from a fire can cause windows to crack and become compromised, allowing embers to quickly enter the home and ignite a fire. Homeowners are encouraged to:

Upgrade to double-pane windows, which can help improve your property’s resilience during a wildfire.

Vents

Vents are often overlooked but can be upgraded to help prevent embers from entering the home.

Replace attic, foundation, and side vents with ember-resistant options to help prevent your home from catching fire.

Attached structures (decks, patios)

If you have a deck or other structure attached to your home, consider the following tips:

Keep leaves, debris, and other flammable materials clear from under the deck.
Use stone or bare earth beneath the deck and block the sides with wildfire mesh to keep the area clear. Stone is also a good option for landscaping throughout your property.
If building a new deck, opt for non-combustible materials or durable woods like Ipe.
Patio furniture and grass doormats are highly flammable. If a wildfire is nearby, move them indoors or away from the home.

Defensible space around your property

Defensible space is a buffer zone surrounding your property that significantly reduces the risk of fire damage. This area serves as a protective barrier, slowing or stopping the spread of fire. The NFPA Firewise and IBHS Wildfire Prepared programs have divided this space into three zones:

via CAL FIRE

Zone 0: The Immediate Zone (0’–5’)

This is the most critical space around the home. It’s vital to eliminate all flammable materials, including dead plants, leaves, and debris. This is particularly important if your home has wood siding.

Mulch should not be used in this area, as it acts like kindling due to its dry, dead wood composition. Instead, use non-combustible products, such as bare earth or various stone materials, to drastically reduce the risk of fire.
Coniferous trees and shrubs should be avoided in this zone. These plants can easily catch fire, burn hot and quickly, and produce numerous embers that ignite most structures during a wildfire.

Zone 1: The Intermediate Zone (5’–30’)

In this zone, the main objective is to create a buffer that slows the spread of fire. Special attention should be given to trees and shrubs, ensuring they are adequately spaced to prevent fire from jumping between them. If a shrub beneath a tree catches fire and the tree is not limbed up six feet or higher, it can ignite as well, creating what is known as “ladder fuel.”

Homeowners should opt for fire-resistant plants, and make sure that those in this space are well irrigated.
Routine maintenance is critical, including trimming branches and removing dead foliage.
Replace wood sections of fencing within five to ten feet of your home with noncombustible materials. Wood fences can create a wicking effect, catching fire and burning along the fence line, often leading to ignition of the home or garage. Aluminum fencing is an excellent noncombustible alternative that won’t burn during a wildfire.

Zone 2: The Extended Zone (30’–100’)

The extended zone is the outer area. For some homeowners, this space may extend into neighboring properties, making it essential to work with your neighbors to ensure that both parties are taking steps to improve their defensible space. For those in more rural areas, special attention should be given to the spacing of trees in this area. This area serves as the first line of defense against wildfires, and proper spacing will help keep the fire from spreading closer to your home.

Space trees 6 to 12 feet apart to prevent canopy fires from spreading to your home.
Keep wood piles at least 30 feet away from your home or any structure on the property.

These zoning concepts should be applied not only around your house but also around any structures on your property, such as a detached garage or storage shed.

Advancements in wildfire technology

Each year, wildfire professionals and the insurance industry learn more about wildfires. Among the most remarkable innovations in recent years is the game-changing app, WatchDuty. Launched in 2021, this nonprofit app revolutionizes access to real-time wildfire information and alerts, empowering both citizens and first responders in their fight against devastating blazes.

The app is free for tracking fires and alerts in up to four counties. It also offers paid services, including monitoring helicopters and planes during a fire event and measuring the distance of the fire to your location. Currently, this app is used in Texas, Oklahoma, the Rocky Mountain region, and Hawaii, with plans to expand its availability to the rest of the U.S. in the future. Our Private Client Services team also uses this app as a resource on its Severe Weather Center site.

Connect with your property risk and insurance advisor

While the steps to prepare your home for wildfires may seem overwhelming, it is essential to consider them as you make upgrades. Homes can be fortified to withstand wildfires, often requiring just a few simple measures to enhance resilience. If you live in a wildfire-prone area and have questions about your home, reach out to your property insurer and risk advisor for more risk mitigation tips and guidance.

Schedule an insurance review with an experienced Personal Risk Advisor to ensure your home is as safe and secure as possible from future wildfires.

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