Recently a friend of mine had to fight off a fire that was encroaching on her house. Luckily she was helped by neighbours and passers-by who formed a bucket brigade, because the fire station a mile away never responded until they had successfully doused the flames. To make matters even more difficult, there was no water in the mains - part of the nationwide water restrictions in effect. Thank goodness they had a tank that they were able to use to put the fire out.
Are you prepared in the event of an approaching brush fire?
* REMEMBER FIRES NEED FUEL. If you are in a high-risk area, you may want to clear at least a 30 foot perimeter around your house. If you are on a slope, you may need to extend that to 100 feet.
* Brush fires may accelerate UP a hill at a faster rate than going DOWN the hill. This is because the air heated by the fire rises and in turn heats and dries out the area ahead of the fire, in effect preparing a path for it to advance.
* LADDERS FUELS. Overhanging branches close to the roof offer a way for a fire to "jump" to your home - keep overhanging branches trimmed back in the dry season and douse the roof with water in the event of an emergency.
* Dead leaves, grass lying around the yard are easy to ignite - and to blow with the wind and spread the fire. Keep the area around your house clear of dead and dry vegetation.
* Dry overgrown shrubbery - trim excess growth and get rid of any dead leaves and branches to eliminate material that can fuel airborne sparks into full-blown flames.
* We grew up with neighbours prepared to construct a firebreak along the perimeter of our homes. A shallow ditch about 3-6 meters wide, cleared of ALL vegetation and possibly covered with red sand to cut off any fuel source.
More tips here available in this pdf download.
Also see this interactive presentation illustrating an imminent fire encroachment.
Be safe T&T.
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