With this warm summer season, it is smart to be aware of the fire danger near your home. Below is an article on the fires in surrounding areas along with how to protect your home during fire season.
For more on the article, please visit:sierrasun.com/real-estate/addressing-fire-danger-at-your-north-lake-tahoe-property
Weather conditions in late summer and autumn almost always create a recipe where fire danger is extreme due to low fuel moisture levels, low humidity, high air temperatures, and unpredictable wind conditions.
The Detwiler Fire, west of Yosemite, has pushed smoke into the Tahoe basin and it’s a reminder of the need to do defensible space work at every property. The extremely high snowfall last winter will likely create taller and denser vegetation than normal. With residential homes interfacing with the natural forest environment, the conditions this summer demand vigilance by residents and visitors alike in the Lake Tahoe basin.
Humans cause approximately 90 percent of wildfires with lightning strikes accounting for the majority of the fires created by Mother Nature. It’s important now more than ever for property owners to limb up trees, remove dead branches, and thin out the forest within prescribed guidelines to create defensible space around your structure.
Raking up the pine needles on your property (if you haven’t already done so) is a simple preventive measure that all homeowners can take. Everyone needs to be extremely careful with any type of fire or flame, as it only takes a couple of pine needles to ignite and start an out-of-control wildfire.
If you have a home with a shake roof this would be a good year to consider replacing it with one made of metal or asphalt composite materials. The vast majority of shake roofs in Incline Village and Crystal Bay are nearing the end of their useful life anyway, and most insurance companies will not write coverage on a property that has a shake roof that is more than 30 years old. Now is an excellent time to get estimates from the local roofing contractors and replace that old shake roof before an unpredictable wildfire creates the potential for reducing your home to a pile of ashes.
