If it seems like the number and size of wildfires have been getting bigger every summer, it has: Wildfires are constantly on the rise in the past years . And while you may read a lot of stories about fires in spots like California , it's happening across the country and around the world in all regions that are seeing hotter summers . Here in the northwest, I've never had to evacuate for a fire, yet.
But there have been many unnervingly close wildfires (enough that I've made plenty of personal preparations), and I've had too many good friends lose homes or property to the damage. I've learned a lot of people, me included, don't always have a good idea about how to respond to fast-moving fire threats. So I'm going to talk about a different kind of security threat -- the worst mistakes you can make if your home is in danger from a fire.
If you see fire warning messages light up in your area, here's what not to do. 1. Go outside to watch where the smoke is It seems so natural -- hear a local fire warning, walk outside to see if you can tell how close the fire is.
The problem? It doesn't do any good and wastes precious time. With houses, trees and landscapes in the way, humans are horrible judges of how close or far away a fire may be. And wandering around outside trying to guess means you're not prepping emergency supplies, gathering the family or listening to news reports so you know if you have an evacuation notice or if it's getting updated.
Read more : Best Smoke Detector for.