The Home Ignition Zone
The home ignition zone is the concept that whether a house ignites is determined mostly by the house itself and the conditions within roughly the first hundred feet — not by the size of the fire in the distance.
Why the framing matters
Thinking in terms of the ignition zone changes what homeowners prioritize. Instead of asking how close the fire might come, the question becomes what on and around this house could actually catch an ember and hold it.
Working through the zone
- The structure: roof, vents, eaves, siding, windows, decks
- The immediate zone: first five feet of hardscape and planting
- The intermediate zone: spaced, maintained vegetation
- The extended zone: thinned fuels and limbed trees
Related guides
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