Wildfires can spread quickly. Burning embers blown through the air are dangerous to homes.
Make your home more resilient to wildfires by following FireSmart principles. This means “hardening” your home by removing flammable materials from the area around it and making the outside of your home more fire-resistant. Following these steps can reduce the risk of damage to your home from wildfire. FireSmart principles do not guarantee fire damage cannot happen.
Read the FireSmart Homeowner's Manual
The FireSmart Homeowner’s Manual shows how to protect your home and includes a home assessment to see how FireSmart your home is.
Download the FireSmart Homeowner's Manual
Use fire-safe building materials for your home
The materials of your home’s exterior have a big impact on how well it withstands embers. Consider the following when making home renovation decisions.
Roof
Metal, asphalt or a class-A fire retardant treatment for shakes are most effective.
Exterior walls
- Stucco, metal, brick and concrete fire-resistant materials are most effective.
- Logs and heavy timbers are less effective.
- Wood and vinyl siding offer little protection.
- Ensure your walls are in good repair and do not have large cracks or gaps where embers can collect.
Windows
- Tempered glass is resistant to fire damage.
- Double-pane windows provide moderate protection.
- Single-pane windows provide little protection.
Eaves and soffits
Closed, screened or non-combustible designs keep embers out.
Chimney
- Make sure your chimney meets current Yukon building code requirements.
- Screen your chimney with an approved spark arrestor.
Create a fire safety zone around your home
Immediate zone: Within 1.5 metres of your home
There cannot be flammable materials within 1.5 metres around the home and its attachments, such as decks.
- Use non-flammable landscaping materials like gravel, brick or concrete.
- Remove flammable organic material like wood, bushes or other vegetation.
- Treat all structures in the same way as your home. This includes the area underneath and around vehicles and trailers.
- Clean your roof and gutters regularly.
Intermediate zone 1: 1.5 to 10 metres around your home
The area 1.5 to 10 metres around your home should also be free of materials that could easily catch fire.
- Remove flammable shrubs, trees, deadfall and woodpiles.
- Keep propane tanks and other combustibles out of this area.
- Mow and water your lawn.
Extended zone 2: 10 to 30 metres around your home
- Thin and prune bushes, vegetation and trees to slow the spread of a fire.
- Space trees at least 3 metres apart between branches. Thinning the area of more flammable trees like spruce and pine will reduce available fuel. This can make the fire less intense and easier to put out.
- Remove all branches within 2 metres of the ground.
- Regularly clear fallen branches, dry grass and needles from the ground.
Use your burn barrel safely
Never leave a burn barrel unattended.
- Keep the barrel away from buildings and other combustible sources.
- Keep a wire mesh screen cover on your burn barrel.
- Stake down your barrel and wire it to a metal surface.
FireSmart Canada
You can see where fuels management projects are happening.
FireSmart Canada has ways to keep yourself safe from fire.