With the blazes still threatening California, Realtor.com® offers these fireproofing tips:
Take extreme caution with eucalyptus trees. The oil in eucalyptus trees is highly flammable and can cause the trees to explode when on fire. Remove these and other large trees near a home’s structure to help prevent fires from spreading to the house.
Keep your yard clear of brush. Bushes, shrubs, dead branches, and vegetation near a home can be dangerous in a wildfire. At least 20 yards of brush clearance is what is recommended by most firefighters.
Reinforce susceptible materials in a home. A house made of wood is more prone to catching fire than homes made from other materials, such as brick, cement block, stone, and ceramic tile.
Replace the roof. Certain roofs are more resistant to falling embers and ash than others. Tile and composite roofing shingles are a must these days, but some homes still use wooden shingles.
Source: “Exploding Trees? 5 Shockers That Can Make a House Catch Fire,” realtor.com® (Dec. 14, 2017)