08:48 AM PDT on Wednesday, April 20, 2005

By SUSAN WYATT / KING5.com

AP

Firefighters battle a wildfire near LaPine, Ore. in 2003.

Federal agencies and Oregon State University say the summer forest five threat for Washington, Oregon and other Western states is of "historic proportions." They say forest and rangeland fires this summer could be unusually severe and probably the worst in the nation.

Summer rain may reduce the danger, but dry lightning strikes could ignite numerous blazes that roar out of control in tinder-dry forests before firefighters can arrive.

"The fuels right now... are in good shape to sustain fire," said Bob Tobin of the National Weather Service in Spokane. "Whether or not that happens depends on thunderstorm activity. That's the big question right now -- lightning strikes."

Property owners in rural or remote forested areas are advised to reduce the fire risk by clearing brush and other potential fuel.

Protect your home and family

Living in a house surrounded by nature and wildlands can be peaceful and beautiful, but it can also be risky. All over the country, people are rapidly moving into formerly unpopulated areas.

Today, more and more people are choosing to live in the so-called wildland-urban interface, where homes are surrounded by native vegetation and woodland. Here, they enjoy the beauty of the great outdoors, yet are subject to the very real danger of wildfire.

The State Department of Natural resources asks that home-owners take steps to minimize the risks of wildfires and to protect their homes and businesses.

"Fire safety at work and at home goes a long way toward reducing the risk of expensive wildfires that damage our forests, fish and wildlife habitat, destroy homes, limit recreational opportunities and threaten public safety,” said Commissioner of Public Lands, Doug Sutherland.

Two factors have emerged as the primary determinants of a home's ability to survive wildfire. These are the home's roofing material and the quality of the "defensible space" surrounding it.

KING

A wildfire threatened the Swiftwater development near Carnation, Wash. in August of 2003.

The No. 1 cause of home loss is untreated wood-shake roofs, which can catch windblown sparks. You can’t always depend on roof sprinklers to protect your flammable roof from burning. Not only is water pressure low during a fire, but the electricity needed to operate pumps often fails. Use fire-resistant materials, not wood or shake shingles, to roof homes in or near forests and grasslands.

Defensible space is an area around a structure where fuels and vegetation are treated, cleared or reduced to slow the spread of wildfire towards the structure.

Defensible space works

During the 1993 raging Malibu fires, a number of homes were saved as a result of the owners' careful pruning and landscaping techniques that protected their homes. In a fire situation, the dead trees and shrubs surrounding your home act as fuel for fire. Removing flammable vegetation reduces the threat of fire. Follow these basic rules to create defensible space that works:

•Rake leaves, dead limbs and twigs. Clear all flammable vegetation.

•Remove leaves and rubbish from under structures and dispose of them properly.

•Thin a 15-foot space between tree crowns, and remove limbs within 15 feet of the ground.

•Remove dead tree branches that extend over the roof.

•Prune tree branches and shrubs within 15 feet of a stovepipe or chimney outlet.

•Mow grass regularly.

BLM

There are no fuels close to this home, protecting it from wildfire, therefore making this home defensible.

•Clear a 10-foot area around propane tanks and the barbecue area. Place a screen over the grill and use non-flammable material with mesh no coarser than one-quarter inch.

•Store gasoline, oily rags and other flammable materials in approved safety cans. Place cans in a safe location.

•Stack firewood at least 100 feet away and uphill from your home. Clear combustible material within 20 feet.

•Remove vines from the walls of your home.

Create a fire-safe landcape

•Create a defensible space perimeter by thinning trees and brush within 30 feet around your home.

•Beyond 30 feet, remove dead wood, debris and low tree branches.

•Eliminate small trees and plants growing under trees. They allow ground fires to jump into tree crowns.

•Space trees 30 feet apart and prune to a height of 8 to 10 feet.

•Place shrubs at least 20 feet from any structures and prune regularly.

•Plant the most drought-tolerant vegetation within three feet of your home and adjacent to structures to prevent ignition.

•Provide at least a 10 to 15 foot separation between islands of shrubs and plant groups to effectively break-up continuity of vegetation.

•Maintain a well-pruned and watered landscape to serve as a green belt and protection against fire.

Choose fire-resistant materials

•Check your local nursery or county extension service for advice on fire resistant plants that are suited for your environment.

•Use rock, mulch, flower beds and gardens as ground cover for bare spaces and as effective firebreaks.

•There are no "fire-proof" plants. Select high moisture plants that grow close to the ground and have a low sap or resin content. Fire-resistant shrubs include hedging roses, bush honeysuckles, currant, cotoneaster, sumac and shrub apples.

The following plants are particularly flammable and should be avoided: California buckwheat, cedar, deergrass, Douglas fir, fountain grass, greasewood, juniper, manzanita, pine, rosemary.

When wildfire threatens

AP

Charred ground and a smoldering tree stump are shown near residences after a wildfire moved through Cascade Locks, Ore., Sept. 2, 2003.

•Stay tuned to local news for reports and evacuation information. Follow instructions of officials.

•Confine pets to one room. Make plans to care for your pets in case you must evacuate.

•Back your car into the garage or park it in an open space facing the direction of escape. Shut doors and roll up windows. Leave the key in the ignition. Close garage windows and doors, but leave them unlocked. Disconnect automatic garage door openers.

•Arrange temporary housing at a friend or relative's home outside the threatened area.

If asked to evacuate, do so immediately

•Wear protective clothing - sturdy shoes, cotton or woolen clothing, long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, gloves, and a handkerchief to protect your face.

•Lock your home.

•Tell someone when you left and where you are going.

•Choose a route away from fire hazards. Watch for changes in the speed and direction of fire and smoke.