North Texas wildfire risk; Advice to keep your home and family safe
FORT WORTH (CBSNewsTexas.com) -- It will be another dry week in North Texas, increasing the threat of wildfires to spark and spread rapidly.
Just this past month, we've seen some wildfires take off in North Texas, including at Possum Kingdom Lake and in Tarrant County — with homes and businesses just feet away from disaster.
The Texas A&M Forest Service said there's significant fire potential for most of North Texas this week, which means if a fire sparks it can go for many days and burn hotter and longer.
Once a fire gets started, it's doesn't take long to spread.
Humans are the top cause of wildfires, with people burning debris or using things like welding equipment. A car parked on the side of the road or anywhere where there is tall dry grass can spark a fire.
"Wildfires in Texas move extremely fast we don't have days or weeks to prepare for an evacuation like some of our other parts of the country do," said Kari Hines, program coordinator for Texas A&M Forest Service.
"Often times you're finding out that there's a wildfire nearby when first responders are driving through your neighborhood to evacuate," she said.
So how can you protect your property? Hines told CBS News Texas there are two important categories: fire-resistant construction and fire-resistant landscaping.
Embers flying around from fires is the most likely cause if a house catching fire. The embers can find their way into your vents and go into your attic.
Also, make sure to keep your landscaping around your house maintained and watered, and keep any flammable materials like propane tanks away from your house.
"It doesn't always have to be super expensive either, it's just general maintenance, cleaning out your gutters removing flammable material from right next to your wooden structures," said Hines.
Hines said keep the six P's in mind in what to bring with you in case a fire is threatening your house:
- People
- Pets
- Prescriptions
- Important Papers
- Personal needs
- Your Priceless items
Many North Texas counties have enacted burn bans to help prevent people from doing activities that would cause a wildfire to start.
To learn more about how to prevent a wildfire and what you need to do to prepare, the Texas A&M Forest Service has a guide here.
