A few precautions can greatly increase your safety and your home’s chance of survival during a wildfire. It’s not too difficult to protect your home from one of a wildfire’s biggest threats:  flying embers.

Fast-moving wind can carry these fiery little chunks of wood from an intense wildfire, sometimes more than a mile away. They can reach the smallest places and easily start a fire that can burn down a home.  

The Texas A&M Forest Service says materials used to build your home can determine whether your home will survive a wildfire, and you can take steps to increase your home’s chance of survival from flying embers.

Here are a few steps that most anyone can take:

• Look for gaps in roofing that can expose your roof decking or supports, and place angle flashing over openings between the roof decking and fascia board.
• Install a one-eighth-inch metal screen behind roof or attic vents, keeping embers out while allowing air flow for ventilation. Clean vents to keep them free of debris.
• Check exterior walls and cover any crevices or holes that could catch embers.

That’s just the beginning. Learn more about protecting your home from fiery embers at this forest service handout and this NFPA Fact Sheet on Embers