By Kathleen Shannon - Producer, Contact - News
Big Sky Connection - During wildfires, most homes catch fire because of stray embers or small flames. On Wildfire Community Preparedness Day May 3, experts suggest Montana neighbors gather to prep homes and neighborhoods for the upcoming wildfire season. Comments by Anne Cope, chief engineer, Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety.
Click on the image above for the audio. Experts say Wildfire Community Preparedness Day on Saturday is a good time to move fuels and flammable materials away from homes. (Adobe Stock)
Kathleen Shannon
May 2, 2025 - Montana's wildfire risk is 74% higher than other states, so experts are encouraging Montanans to think ahead Saturday on Wildfire Community Preparedness Day.
When wildfires ignite homes, an ember or small flame is usually to blame, according to the National Fire Protection Association. That means prep work in the "immediate zone" - or the five feet surrounding a home - is effective.
Anne Cope, chief engineer for the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety, said that zone is critical because that's where wind eddies deposit embers and where flammable materials including mulch, bushes and stacked firewood tend to be.
"When you bring those two things together, boom, that's where that teeny little fire is gonna start, that you could have just stomped out with your boot," she said. "That is sadly what's going to take down a house."
Cleaning roofs and gutters, installing metal mesh screening over open vents, repairing damaged shingles and window screens and removing items stored under porches are simple ways to prepare for wildfire season.
A home's "intermediate zone" ranges five to 30 feet out and its "extended zone" could reach as far as 200 feet. In these areas, experts suggest paying attention to decks and patios, walkways, the height of mowed grass, dead foliage, as well as the density of shrubs and plants and the distances between them.
Cope said it's effective for neighbors to tackle these together.
"It is amazing how much that can do," she said, "how much it reduces the likelihood of your home igniting and then taking down all your friends on the cul-de-sac."
Nearly a half-million homes in Montana are directly exposed to wildfire risk, meaning they could ignite by adjacent vegetation, flying embers or nearby structures.
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