Well I am back on my soapbox again, every year about this time I write a post on wildfire protection. Because I spent many in arson investigation, I have gotten to see more than my share of fires and the damage they can cause. We all work hard for everything that we have. It would be a shame to watch all that effort go up in flames because we are careless.
Here in California, we are in the middle of a drought and I know many other western states are also in similar circumstances. But just today I was at someone’s house and the weeds in their front yard were four feet tall.
Wildfires will occur every year, lighting alone causes thousands of wildfires. In the chaos of a TEOTWAWKI situation, fires will be started both accidentally and on purpose. Wherever you plan to be, in your home or at your bugout location, take the dangers of fire seriously. For many people this may be a bigger hazard than looters.
One mistaken believe that many people have is that because they live in a urban area it can’t happen here. The town in which I live had a major fire 6 years ago in which 62 homes burned down in about a two hour period. Most of these homes were on city lots on residential streets. The owners thought that it could never happen to them.
Here are some older posts on wildfire protection for you to review.
Fire Protection for the Homestead.
Fire Fighting Tools and Information for Preppers
Major Wildfires Can be the Biggest Dangers to You and Your Preps
Using Controlled Burns and Backfiring to Fight Wildland Fires
Indian Back Pumps a Simple Solution for Fire Suppression
How to Protect Yourself From Wildland Fires.
Fire Shelters can Save Your Life
This is the current number of wildfires nationally as of today (2015)
| Fire Activity | Yesterday | Year to date | 10-Year Average |
| Number of Fires | 91 | 23,863 | 31,929 |
| Acres Burned | 1,759 | 503,848 | 1,579,495 |
Today they are large fires burning in Washington, California and Florida. Depending on weather conditions every states has had large fires at one time or another. In an emergency situation without fire service response they will be much worst and you will only have yourself and your neighbors to depend on. Practice good fire protection now.
Howard
These are great tips and tools for practicing good fire safety habits. Like you said, fires occur both in droughts and in urban areas. When wildfires start they are often hard to put out in a short period of time should everyone should have the essential fire safety tools to be prepared. It is crazy that 62 houses can burn down in only 2 hours and knowing these tips will help prevent fire and improve putting them out at a faster and more effective rate.