California Fires

[street]

Wow! I just seen some news on the million-dollar estates burning to the ground. It has been one disaster after another in our country it seems. My heart goes out to all involved.

 

[aja8888]

Wow! I just seen some news on the million-dollar estates burning to the ground. It has been one disaster after another in our country it seems. My heart goes out to all involved.

Yes, and it will get worse in CA if it stays dry all through the summer. When the Santa Ana winds kick up in the Fall, fires will be all over the place.

 

[1242Vintage]

All signs are pointing to another tragic fire season in California. I took down trees near the house and have all the weeds mowed down and cleared away in the orchard. But these actions will be futile when the wind kicks up and a spark ignites a blaze.

Fortunately we have a tile roof. Folks in our area with shake roof are having a terrible time maintaining fire insurance coverage.

 

[aja8888]

All signs are pointing to another tragic fire season in California. I took down trees near the house and have all the weeds mowed down and cleared away in the orchard. But these actions will be futile when the wind kicks up and a spark ignites a blaze.

Fortunately we have a tile roof. Folks in our area with shake roof are having a terrible time maintaining fire insurance coverage.

I had houses in CA when we lived there and had tile and wood shake roofs. I remember sitting on my roof with a water hose in my hand during the close fires, but got lucky with the shake roof. The tile roofs are less prone to getting on fire but it can happen if the soffits are made of wood (or the house just gets engulfed with flame).

 

[Jenna]

We live near the recent fire. Its my understanding house fires spread when embers enter the house via the house vents and hot/cold air pressure. We put new vents on our home that are spark arrestors along with have a tile roof. There are precautions that can affect outcomes. We use brandguard vents. Its expensive but worth the peace of mind.

 

[W2R]

Wow! I just seen some news on the million-dollar estates burning to the ground. It has been one disaster after another in our country it seems. My heart goes out to all involved.

+1

It's always sad to see homes burn, and in this particular fire some of the homes were stunningly beautiful (and expensive, I'm sure!).

Dreams turning into ashes. So sad.

 

[Another Reader]

We live near the recent fire. Its my understanding house fires spread when embers enter the house via the house vents and hot/cold air pressure. We put new vents on our home that are spark arrestors along with have a tile roof. There are precautions that can affect outcomes. We use brandguard vents. Its expensive but worth the peace of mind.

Need to install these in the hills in the Bay Area. E-mail to the insurance agent sent. Do you know if they are sold here?

 

[Koolau]

I had houses in CA when we lived there and had tile and wood shake roofs. I remember sitting on my roof with a water hose in my hand during the close fires, but got lucky with the shake roof. The tile roofs are less prone to getting on fire but it can happen if the soffits are made of wood (or the house just gets engulfed with flame).

Yes, I always wondered if folks couldn't protect their properties by wetting them down at the first sign of fire. Also, that particular fire that street mentioned was up a valley (or canyon) where the wind could multiply the effects. My gut tells me that folks in such an area could band together and remove every source of fuels (leaves, sticks, dead trees, scraps of paper, maybe even pine trees) and then set up misters or deluges systems on their roofs. Probably expensive but so are 8 million dollar houses. YMMV

 

[chris2008]

But as long as it's covered by insurance...
The idea of a brand new house has something...