Fire highlights need for home protection

Nobody lost their home to the raging Booth Fire, thanks to some lucky breaks in the weather and stout firefighting efforts by structural protection units bolstered by air support.

Homeowners can increase the likelihood of their home surviving a wildfire if they create a defensible space around the home.

Fire officials advocate a 30-foot perimeter kept well-cleaned of pine needles and other yard debris. Limb trees up from the ground and keep trees from overhanging your roof.

Move log piles away from the house and clean pine needles out of your gutters and off your roof.

Clearing away fuels that can catch from an ember can go a long way toward keeping your home safe. When a fire comes close, creating defensible space gives firefighters a place to stand and a chance to save your home.

For more information on creating defensible space, contact the Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District at 549-0771 or the Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District at 548-4815.