July 1, 2005

Be prepared for the fire season

A six-acre brush fire June 29 near Highway 101 and Hellyer Avenue destroyed a ranch-style home and forced brief evacuations of nearby homes. Gusty winds quickly spread the blaze from the base of the hill up to Jerry Folmer’s house at 3830 Dove Hill Road. He and his son were not home, and no injuries were reported, but the loss is estimated to be more than $1 million. More than 50 firefighters from San Jose and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection helped contain the 1.5-hour wildfire by 5 p.m.

Warmer weather combined with Independence Day firecrackers and fireworks spells fire hazard. Here are some precautionary steps to help protect families and property from grass fires:

- Clear all combustibles within your property lines, or within 30 feet of any structure. If you live on a hill, extend the zone on the downhill side.

- Remove vines from the walls of your home and move shrubs and other landscaping away from the side of the house.

- Remove dead or overhanging branches around your home. When brush fires occur, wind can blow flaming debris to nearby branches and on to the roof of your home.

- Prune branches and shrubs within 10 feet of chimneys and stovepipes.

- Trim tree branches so that leaves or needles are at least eight feet from the ground and thin a 10 foot space between tree crowns.

- Replace highly flammable vegetation such as pine, eucalyptus, juniper and fir trees with slower growing, less flammable species.

- Replace vegetation that has branches from the ground level up (these act as ladder fuels for an approaching fire).

- Cut your grass regularly. Clear the area and the gutters of leaves, brush, pinecones, pine needles, dead limbs and fallen trees.

- Ask PG&E to clear branches from power lines.

- Avoid using bark and wood chip mulch.

- Stack firewood 100 feet away and uphill from any structure.

- Keep your gas grill and propane tank at least 15 feet from any structure. Avoid using your grill during high fire risk times.