CA Wildfires: How To Check If Your Home Was Damaged

CALIFORNIA — Fire season was officially in full swing Wednesday as some 16 massive wildfires continued to bedevil firefighters in the Golden State. Amid dry wind gusts and warming temperatures, fire officials anticipated elevated fire activity to persist this month.

In a year in which the state faced extreme drought, dry forest fuels and unpredictable weather, hundreds of thousands of people in California could see their homes threatened by wildfire. Others will lose their homes.

Last year, California weathered its largest wildfire season yet with more than 10,480 structures destroyed. This year, 1.88 million acres have already burned, putting 2021 on track to beat last year's grim record.

The Caldor fire, burning in El Dorado County and racing toward summer tourist destination South Lake Tahoe, threatened a staggering 35,000-plus homes on Wednesday. The Dixie fire, which was dubbed the second-largest wildfire in state history, threatened 14,000 structures across Butte, Plumas, Lassen, Tehama and Shasta counties. That fire already reduced the town of Greenville to rubble, leaving its residents in limbo.

Cal Fire, the state's leading fire agency, created a tool in partnership with local sheriff's departments to monitor fire damage and archive photos of homes and businesses in communities across California. The search engine is updated daily at 9 p.m. and is available to keep residents up to date.

Cal Fire's forestry mapping tool can be accessed here.

Simply go to this link to search any address in California. Click on the home or structure to see if it has been identified by an icon. The agencies may also post pictures of the damage that can be seen when you search an address.

For example, here is a map of all damage that was accounted for so far in the Caldor fire burning in Northern California.

There isn't much a homeowner can do in the event of a wildfire — except evacuate safely — but officials have listed several preventive measures that can be taken ahead of fire season to protect a home or structure from damage.

"Most of the houses I've examined very likely ignited from small spot ignitions on or adjacent to the home — not from the big crown fire flames," said Jack Cohen, a research fire scientist with the U.S. Forest Service. "That means a homeowner can easily do fuel reductions that can potentially save their homes."

The following are home protection tips provided by the U.S. Forest Service.

• Eliminate all flammable materials (potential fuels) within 10 feet of the house.
• Consider any wood roof flammable; wet the whole roof frequently.
• Remove flammable materials from decks or boardwalks. If it's connected to the house, consider it part of the house.
• Remove pine needles from gutters and the roof.
• Staple metal window screening over any openings or gaps, including low decks, walkways and crawl spaces.
• If possible, place sprinklers to wet the area around the house, especially within 60 feet of the house.
• Reduce or eliminate surface fuels starting at the house to within 100 feet of the house, and prune lower limbs of trees at least 8 feet above the ground.

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