A dozen homes in the Mount Pisgah, S.C., area were destroyed due to a recent wild fire. The flames also came close to some other homes, but because of the landscaping choices, these homes were saved. Debbie Price, assistant regional forester, says there were several factors which helped save one home in the community.
"In the home that wasn't damaged, the grass burned," Price says. "But once it got to the mulch, the fire went out and it was a fairly large diameter bark mulch. It's harder to ignite larger diameter particles.”
People can learn a lesson from the homes that were lost in the fire, she adds.
"Some of the homes that were damaged, most of them had pine straw as the mulch right adjacent to the vinyl siding," Price says. "Vinyl siding melts when it gets hot. Having the pine straw right next to the vinyl siding is not a great idea.”
She adds: "One of the most important things we recommend is trying to maximize the distance between the home itself and what we call wild land fuels."
Price says a good distance would be a minimum of 30 or even 100 feet away from thick vegetation. There are also some plants homeowners should pick that are less likely to catch fire.
"Some of the more flammable things are some of our native plants like hollies, and Wax Myrtle. But some that would be more fire resistant might be Azaleas, Dogwood, Boxwood, Day lilies and Monkey grass even."
Price says with some of these simple considerations, people's homes may have a better chance surviving a wildfire. Forest fire officials also suggest clearing away underbrush from your house.
Also, if there is a dry period, even in the winter, recommend homeowners run their irrigation systems to keep their lawns moist.
Another recommendation is to prune low branches on trees.
For more information on living with fire and landscape plants that are more fire resistant, log on to http://www.state.sc.us/forest/
To sign up for a fire safety seminar or ask for one to come to your neighborhood, call the South Carolina Forestry Commission at 843/992-9199.