Wildfires have emerged as one of the most devastating and rapidly growing hazards in the United States. Driven by drought, warming temperatures, decades of fire suppression, and expanding urban development into fire-prone wildland areas, wildfires now burn millions of acres annually and cost tens of billions of dollars in damage. In 2018, the Camp Fire destroyed the town of Paradise, California, killing 85 people. In 2023, the Lahaina Fire in Maui, Hawaii killed over 100 people in a matter of hours. These are no longer rare events — they are an increasing reality across the western United States and beyond. Ready.gov’s Wildfire Hazard Information Sheet provides essential preparedness guidance.
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Understanding Wildfire Behavior
Wildfires spread through three factors: fuel (vegetation), topography, and weather. The most dangerous wildfire conditions occur when all three combine unfavorably. Fuel includes dense, dry vegetation — grasses, shrubs, trees — that years of drought or fire suppression allow to accumulate to dangerous levels. Topography matters because fire burns uphill faster than downhill; steep canyons can funnel fire rapidly upward. Weather is the triggering element — high temperatures, low humidity, and strong winds are the lethal combination. The offshore Santa Ana and Diablo winds of California, and similar wind events in other states, can drive fires at speeds exceeding 20 mph.
Creating Defensible Space
Ready.gov and CAL FIRE identify defensible space as the most important thing homeowners in wildland-urban interface (WUI) zones can do to protect their properties:
- Zone 0 — The Home Itself: Use fire-resistant building materials for roofs, vents, siding, decking, and fencing. Remove combustible material from under and around decks. Screen beneath decks and porches.
- Zone 1 (0–30 feet from the home): Remove dead plants, grass, and leaves. Keep grass mowed and green. Remove dead branches overhanging the roof. Separate plants into islands with noncombustible space between them.
- Zone 2 (30–100 feet from the home): Cut or mow grass to a maximum of 4 inches. Create horizontal spacing between shrubs and trees. Remove dead plant and tree material.
Ready, Set, Go! — Wildfire Evacuation Planning
Ready.gov endorses the national Ready, Set, Go! program:
- Ready: Year-round — create defensible space, harden your home, prepare emergency supplies, develop a family evacuation plan, sign up for emergency alerts.
- Set: When fire danger is elevated — monitor local alerts, review your evacuation plan, move outdoor furniture inside, close vents and windows, prepare your go-bag and your animals.
- Go!: When ordered to evacuate or when you determine the fire poses imminent risk — leave immediately. Early evacuation is always safer. Do not wait for the last minute.
Your Wildfire Go-Bag
Have a pre-packed go-bag ready to grab in under 2 minutes: important documents (IDs, insurance policies, medication list) in a waterproof bag; medications for at least 30 days; N95 masks; water and food for 72 hours; phone charger and battery bank; cash; pet supplies; and a change of clothes and comfortable shoes.
During a Wildfire
- If evacuation is ordered — LEAVE IMMEDIATELY. Do not try to save possessions.
- Close all windows and doors but leave them unlocked for firefighters
- Move flammable outdoor furniture inside or away from the house
- Connect garden hoses and fill any containers with water before leaving
- Use a paper map as GPS may be unreliable in smoke or heavy traffic
After a Wildfire
- Do not return home until authorities give the all-clear
- Ash and debris are hazardous — wear N95 masks and protective clothing during cleanup
- Document all damage and begin insurance claims
- Check for hot spots and structural damage before entering buildings
- Be aware of post-fire flooding and debris flow risk — burned slopes have dramatically reduced water absorption
How PubSafe Supports Wildfire Preparedness and Response
In fast-moving wildfire events, real-time information can be the difference between a safe evacuation and a fatal delay. PubSafe provides communities with the communication infrastructure to share real-time fire location and spread information helping neighbors and evacuation planners understand which routes are still clear; coordinate evacuation assistance connecting elderly, disabled, or vehicle-less neighbors with evacuation transportation; manage animal evacuation helping match large animal owners with trailer-equipped neighbors; and support post-fire community coordination managing displaced residents and connecting them with shelter, food, and recovery resources over the extended post-fire period.
The speed of modern wildfire events means that every minute of communication advantage matters. PubSafe gives wildfire-threatened communities that advantage. Download PubSafe and connect your neighborhood — especially if you live in the wildland-urban interface where fire risk is highest.
Resources
- Ready.gov Wildfires page
- CAL FIRE Ready for Wildfire: readyforwildfire.org
- National Fire Protection Association: nfpa.org/wildfire
Download the Ready.gov Wildfire Hazard Information Sheet, assess your defensible space, and connect your community on PubSafe.
Wildfire Smoke: A Far-Reaching Health Hazard
Wildfire smoke is not confined to the immediate fire zone — it can travel thousands of miles from the source fire, affecting air quality across entire regions and even continents. During the 2020 California wildfire season, wildfire smoke reached the East Coast of the United States and crossed the Atlantic Ocean to Europe. The 2023 Canadian wildfires produced smoke that blanketed much of the eastern United States for weeks, creating hazardous air quality conditions in cities as far away as New York and Boston.
Wildfire smoke is a complex mixture of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, nitrogen oxides, and dozens of toxic chemicals produced by the combustion of vegetation, structures, and human-made materials. PM2.5 particles — smaller than 1/30 the width of a human hair — can penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream, causing or exacerbating cardiovascular and respiratory conditions. Long-term and heavy exposure to wildfire smoke is associated with increased risk of premature death, heart attack, stroke, and respiratory disease.
Ready.gov recommends these protective actions when wildfire smoke is present in your area:
- Monitor the Air Quality Index (AQI) at AirNow.gov or through weather apps that display local air quality data
- Stay indoors with windows and doors closed when AQI exceeds 100 (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups) or higher
- Use HEPA air purifiers indoors to reduce PM2.5 concentrations
- If you must go outdoors, wear a well-fitting N95 or P100 respirator (not a cloth or surgical mask, which do not filter fine particles effectively)
- Avoid strenuous outdoor activity on high smoke days
- Follow your healthcare provider’s guidance if you have pre-existing respiratory or cardiovascular conditions
The Ember Problem: Understanding Spotting Fire Behavior
One of the most important and least understood aspects of wildfire behavior is “spotting” — the process by which burning embers (also called “firebrands”) are lofted by convective fire columns and carried downwind, sometimes for miles, starting new fires ahead of the main fire front. Spotting is the primary mechanism by which wildfires jump firebreaks, roads, rivers, and other natural barriers and why some structures in a fire’s path are destroyed while apparently identical neighboring structures survive.
Research by fire scientists at IBHS (Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety) has found that a structure’s survivability in a wildfire often depends less on how close the fire got and more on whether burning embers found an entry point into the structure or into combustible material touching the structure. The primary ember entry points include: attic and roof vents; bathroom and kitchen exhaust vents; soffit vents and gaps in the eaves; garage doors (which often have significant gaps around their perimeter); and wooden decks and fences touching the house (which can ignite from embers and carry fire directly to the structure).
This means that home hardening investments that may seem minor — replacing vented soffits with ember-resistant equivalents, installing 1/16-inch metal mesh screens over all vents, replacing wood decking with composite or concrete materials, removing wood fences where they attach to the house — can have outsized impact on wildfire survivability. IBHS and CAL FIRE both publish detailed guidance on ember-resistant home hardening measures. The California FAIR Plan and many state insurance programs provide financial incentives for homeowners who complete approved home hardening projects. Connect your wildfire-threatened community on PubSafe to share information about home hardening resources, local ember risk, and community preparedness programs.
