Embers: The Wildfire Threat That Can Arrive First
A wildfire does not have to reach your home for your home to ignite.
Wind-blown embers are one of the greatest threats homes face during a wildfire. They can travel a mile or more ahead of the main fire, landing on roofs, decks, vegetation, firewood, and other combustible materials. Wildfire Partners notes that more homes ignite from embers than from any other cause.
What Are Embers? Embers are small burning pieces of vegetation or other material carried through the air by wind during a wildfire.
During an ember storm, hundreds or even thousands of these burning particles can be carried into a neighborhood before the main fire arrives. They may land on or around a home and continue smoldering until they find something that can burn.
That means a home can ignite even when the flames of the wildfire never directly touch it.
Where Can Embers Ignite a Home?
What Can You Do? Start by walking around your home and looking at it from an ember's point of view.
Ask yourself: “If an ember landed here, what could it ignite?”
Pay particular attention to:
Don't Give Embers a Place to Land: Wildfire mitigation is not only about stopping a wall of flames. It is also about preventing a tiny burning ember from finding the fuel it needs to start a fire.
Clean it. Clear it. Screen it. Move it away.
Every combustible material you remove from around your home is one less opportunity for an ember to ignite.
Continue exploring the Woodside Wildfire Readiness Educational Series for additional steps you can take to help protect your home and our community.
Wind-blown embers are one of the greatest threats homes face during a wildfire. They can travel a mile or more ahead of the main fire, landing on roofs, decks, vegetation, firewood, and other combustible materials. Wildfire Partners notes that more homes ignite from embers than from any other cause.
What Are Embers? Embers are small burning pieces of vegetation or other material carried through the air by wind during a wildfire.
During an ember storm, hundreds or even thousands of these burning particles can be carried into a neighborhood before the main fire arrives. They may land on or around a home and continue smoldering until they find something that can burn.
That means a home can ignite even when the flames of the wildfire never directly touch it.
Where Can Embers Ignite a Home?
- Roofs and Gutters: Pine needles, leaves, twigs, and other debris that collect on roofs and in gutters can provide ready fuel for an ember. Keeping roofs and gutters clean is one of the simplest ways to reduce this risk.
- Vents and Openings: Wind-driven embers can enter attics and crawl spaces through vents and other openings. Research summarized by NFPA and the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety shows that embers can pass through standard 1/4-inch screening. In wildfire-prone areas, 1/8-inch corrosion-resistant metal screening is recommended to help reduce the size and number of embers entering these spaces.
- Wildfire Partners also recommends replacing vulnerable vents with ember-resistant vents where appropriate.
- Important: Some vents exhaust furnaces, radon systems, or other equipment and should not be modified. If you are unsure, consult a professional.
- Under Decks: Dry leaves, pine needles, weeds, firewood, cardboard, furniture cushions, and other combustible materials beneath a deck can easily be ignited by embers. Once the deck catches fire, flames may spread directly to the home. Wildfire Partners recommends removing combustible storage and natural debris from beneath decks and maintaining the area regularly.
- Around the Base of the Home: Leaves and pine needles naturally accumulate where siding meets the ground. Wind can push embers into this material and start a fire directly against combustible siding.
- For homes with combustible siding, Wildfire Partners recommends creating at least 6 inches of exposed noncombustible material at the base of the wall when feasible.
What Can You Do? Start by walking around your home and looking at it from an ember's point of view.
Ask yourself: “If an ember landed here, what could it ignite?”
Pay particular attention to:
- Roofs and gutters
- Attic, soffit, gable, and crawl-space vents
- Pine needles and leaves around the house
- The first 5 feet surrounding your home
- Areas beneath decks
- Firewood and combustible storage
- Outdoor furniture cushions
- Wood mulch and vegetation near the structure
- Areas where siding meets the ground
- Gaps and openings where embers could enter
Don't Give Embers a Place to Land: Wildfire mitigation is not only about stopping a wall of flames. It is also about preventing a tiny burning ember from finding the fuel it needs to start a fire.
Clean it. Clear it. Screen it. Move it away.
Every combustible material you remove from around your home is one less opportunity for an ember to ignite.
Continue exploring the Woodside Wildfire Readiness Educational Series for additional steps you can take to help protect your home and our community.
Video Resources
Your Home Can Survive a Wildfire
Dr. Jack Cohen, a highly respected expert on wildfire behavior and fire science research,
explains how fireproofing your home can help protect it from wildfire.
● Why Only Half This Home Caught Fire
The Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) provides a brief video
using an ember generator to illustrate basic home hardening and Zone One principles.
● Harden Your Home
The National Interagency Fire Center provides a short animated video explaining how
home hardening can protect homes from ember attack.
● Ember Attack
This short animation from Australia explains what embers are and how they are able to
travel long distances and start new fires.
● Home Hardening - Decks
Boulder WIldfrei Partners explain how decks ignite and how to harden your deck
including cement fiberboard and mesh screening, deck-to-wall intersections, and
alternative deck materials.
● Fence Out Fire
Fire Safe Marin provides examples of separating the home with a 5’ section of
noncombustible material
● Home Hardening - Fences
Boulder Wildfire Partners explain why fences are so dangerous, how fences ignite,
non-combustible fencing materials and how to prevent fence ignition.
● Protect Home Base (Flashing / Skirting)
Boulder Wildfire Partners features do-it-yourself instructions for installing flashing/
skirting at the base of structures
● Home Hardening - Vents
Boulder Wildfire Partners explains the types of vents, how to harden vents and
understanding mesh screening.
● The Non-combustible Zone (Zone One)
Bouldher Wildfire Partners explains why non-combustible ones are critical, examples of
non-combustible materials, and rooftop / gutter maintenance.
● The First Five Feet (Zone One)
Homes are likely to burn during a wildfire if anything within five feet of the home burns.
This DIY video from Boulder Wildfire Partners shows you how to create a
noncombustible perimeter with crushed rock and a weed barrier, which is one of the
most effective, easy-to-maintain, low-cost first lines of defense in protecting your home.
Your Home Can Survive a Wildfire
Dr. Jack Cohen, a highly respected expert on wildfire behavior and fire science research,
explains how fireproofing your home can help protect it from wildfire.
● Why Only Half This Home Caught Fire
The Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) provides a brief video
using an ember generator to illustrate basic home hardening and Zone One principles.
● Harden Your Home
The National Interagency Fire Center provides a short animated video explaining how
home hardening can protect homes from ember attack.
● Ember Attack
This short animation from Australia explains what embers are and how they are able to
travel long distances and start new fires.
● Home Hardening - Decks
Boulder WIldfrei Partners explain how decks ignite and how to harden your deck
including cement fiberboard and mesh screening, deck-to-wall intersections, and
alternative deck materials.
● Fence Out Fire
Fire Safe Marin provides examples of separating the home with a 5’ section of
noncombustible material
● Home Hardening - Fences
Boulder Wildfire Partners explain why fences are so dangerous, how fences ignite,
non-combustible fencing materials and how to prevent fence ignition.
● Protect Home Base (Flashing / Skirting)
Boulder Wildfire Partners features do-it-yourself instructions for installing flashing/
skirting at the base of structures
● Home Hardening - Vents
Boulder Wildfire Partners explains the types of vents, how to harden vents and
understanding mesh screening.
● The Non-combustible Zone (Zone One)
Bouldher Wildfire Partners explains why non-combustible ones are critical, examples of
non-combustible materials, and rooftop / gutter maintenance.
● The First Five Feet (Zone One)
Homes are likely to burn during a wildfire if anything within five feet of the home burns.
This DIY video from Boulder Wildfire Partners shows you how to create a
noncombustible perimeter with crushed rock and a weed barrier, which is one of the
most effective, easy-to-maintain, low-cost first lines of defense in protecting your home.