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Wildfire season underway: Make sure your home is safe

One of the best things you can do to keep your home safe this wildfire season is to rake your yard regularly.
House that burned in the Upriver Beacon Fire in Spokane Valley

SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. – The Upriver Beacon Fire threatened roughly 1,000 homes between Tuesday and Wednesday, prompting many people in the area to take action to keep their homes safe.

Some residents have been spotted watering their lawns more frequently to keep the flames from reaching their homes.

The Washington State Department of Natural Resources more tips on how to protect your home from wildfires. According to the DNR website, one of the best things you can do to keep your home safe this wildfire season is to rake your yard regularly. It is important to rid your yard of highly flammable debris such as pine needles, leaves and twigs, especially those that are close to the home.

Also, make sure your home has a non-flammable roof and deck. Keep the vegetation surrounding your home trimmed so that firefighters can have safe access. This includes keeping your lawn cut and green.

When trimming trees, make sure tree limbs are at least 15 feet off the ground and are at least five feet away from the branches of another tree to make it more difficult for flames to travel. Also make sure there are not any branches, especially dead branches, looming over the roof.

The DNR also suggests homeowners to use beauty bark away from the house because it will smolder and could potentially make the home more susceptible to catching fire.

Keep shrubs, branches and trees clear around propane tanks, barbecue grills, powerlines and chimneys.

When disposing of stove, fireplace and grill ashes, the DNR suggests to put the ashes in a metal bucket, soak them in water for at least two days and the bury the cold ashes in mineral soil.

The DNR also suggests to keep firewood at least 100 feet away from your home, preferably uphill from the house.

It is also important to plan in advance, especially when living in areas prone to brush fires during fire season. Review the DNR Burn Risk Map throughout the season to stay up-to-date on the potential fire dangers in your area. As of Wednesday, Spokane County is and much of central Washington counties are at high risk for wildfires.

For more information about fire prevention and how to keep your home safe, contact your local DNR Region Office.

Spokane, Okanogan, Stevens and Pend Oreille counties can call the Northeast Region at (509) 684-7474. All counties directly south of the Northeast Region, including Grant, Lincoln and Whitman counties can call the Southeast Region at (509) 925-8510.

For those living in the Northeast and Southeast Regions, the DNR will also come out and assess your home at no cost.

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