Most forest fires are caused by people, and nearly all of those are preventable. The specific actions that matter most depend on whether you’re camping, burning yard debris, living near wildland areas, or simply driving through dry country. Each scenario has straightforward steps that dramatically cut the risk of starting or spreading a wildfire.
Extinguish Campfires Completely
An unattended or poorly extinguished campfire is one of the most common human causes of wildfire. The standard method is a three-step process: drown, stir, and feel. First, pour water over the fire until the hissing sound stops completely, drowning all embers. Don’t rely on dirt or sand alone to put out a fire. Next, use a shovel to stir the water into the embers, dirt, and ash, scraping any sticks and logs until no embers are exposed or smoldering. Then add more water, dirt, and sand until everything is cool. Finally, hover the back of your hand over the ashes to confirm the heat is truly gone. If you can still feel warmth, repeat the process.
Beyond extinguishing, where and how you build a campfire matters. Use established fire rings or pits whenever possible. Clear a bare-dirt area at least 10 feet in diameter around any fire. Keep fires small, and never leave them unattended, even briefly. On windy days, skip the campfire entirely.
Watch the Weather Before Burning Anything
Weather is the single biggest factor in whether a small flame stays controlled or escapes. The National Weather Service issues Red Flag Warnings when humidity drops to 15% or below while sustained winds or gusts reach 25 mph or more, and both conditions last at least three hours. Dry thunderstorms, which produce lightning but less than a tenth of an inch of rain, also trigger warnings. When a Red Flag Warning is active, any open flame outdoors is extremely dangerous.
If you’re burning yard debris or brush, the thresholds for safe conditions are stricter than most people realize. Do not burn if wind gusts are expected to reach 20 mph or more. Avoid burning when relative humidity drops below 20%, especially if gusty winds are also in the forecast. Check your local NWS forecast before lighting anything, and have water and tools on hand to suppress the fire quickly if conditions shift.
Park Vehicles Away From Dry Grass
This is one of the least obvious causes of wildfire, but vehicles start fires regularly. Exhaust system components can reach 400°C (about 750°F), and those temperatures persist for minutes after you turn the engine off. At 400°C, dried vegetation can ignite in as little as three minutes of contact. At 500°C, ignition happens in seconds. The hottest surface temperatures actually occur right after a vehicle comes to a sudden stop, not during steady driving.
The fix is simple: never park on dry grass, especially after driving hard or uphill. Pull onto pavement, gravel, or bare dirt. If you’re towing a trailer with dragging chains, the sparks those produce can ignite roadside brush in seconds. Make sure nothing is dragging beneath your vehicle.
Create Defensible Space Around Your Home
If you live near forests or wildland areas, the zone within five feet of your home is the most critical. The National Fire Protection Association defines this as a non-combustible area, meaning nothing that can burn should be within it. Move mulch, firewood piles, flammable plants, dry leaves, and pine needles away from exterior walls. Remove anything stored underneath decks or porches. Screen or box in the open areas below patios and decks with wire mesh so debris doesn’t accumulate there.
The roof and vents are where embers do the most damage during a wildfire. Clean gutters and roofs of dead leaves and pine needles regularly. Replace or repair loose or missing shingles to prevent embers from getting underneath. Install 1/8-inch metal mesh screening over exterior attic vents and eave vents to block embers from entering. Repair damaged window screens and replace broken windows, since even small openings let embers inside.
Landscaping That Resists Fire
What you plant around your property affects how fire behaves if it reaches your yard. Deciduous trees, the kind that drop their leaves in fall, are significantly more fire-resistant than evergreens. They slow the spread of fire, reduce heat, and block embers. Good choices include maples (red, sugar, bigleaf), oaks (white, pin, red), birch, dogwood, hawthorn, quaking aspen, and crabapple. Evergreens like juniper and arborvitae, by contrast, contain volatile oils and dense needles that burn intensely.
Space trees and shrubs so their canopies don’t touch each other or your home. Remove dead branches and leaf litter underneath them. The goal is to break up continuous fuel so fire can’t easily climb from the ground into tree canopies and then jump to your roof.
Support and Understand Prescribed Burns
Controlled burns conducted by trained professionals are one of the most effective tools for preventing catastrophic wildfires. By intentionally burning accumulated dead wood, leaves, and brush under carefully managed conditions, prescribed fires reduce total fuel loads by 23 to 78 percent. That reduction translates directly into slower spread rates, shorter flame lengths, and lower intensity when an unplanned fire eventually does move through the area.
If you see or smell smoke from a prescribed burn in your area, check with your local fire agency before calling 911. These burns are planned months in advance and conducted only when weather conditions allow firefighters to maintain control. Supporting prescribed burn programs, rather than opposing them over temporary smoke concerns, is one of the most impactful things a community can do to reduce wildfire risk over time.
Report Smoke and Unattended Fires Quickly
Early detection keeps small fires from becoming large ones. If you spot smoke, an unattended campfire, or flames in a wildland area, call 911 immediately. Give the dispatcher your name and phone number, the location as precisely as you can (road names, mile markers, landmarks), the size and extent of what you see, and which direction the smoke or fire appears to be moving. Stay on the line until the operator tells you to hang up, unless your safety is at immediate risk.
You don’t need to be certain it’s an emergency to call. A wisp of smoke in a remote area during dry, windy weather can become a major wildfire within hours. Dispatchers would rather receive a report that turns out to be a permitted burn than miss the early window on an uncontrolled fire.