Zone Zero is the area nearest your house, from 0 to 5 feet. This includes the surfaces of the structure itself, plants, decks, outdoor furniture, and the outside walls and coverings. This area is the most vulnerable to wildfire and should be aggressively maintained to keep fire or embers from igniting materials that can spread the fire to your home.
You can reduce the risk of your home igniting during wildfire by having ZERO combustibles in Zone Zero.
➡️ Here is what you can do in Zone Zero to protect your home from wildfire:
- Remove combustible outdoor furniture. Replace with metal or non-combustible varieties.
- Replace jute or natural fiber doormats with heavy rubber or metal grates.
- Move all combustible materials including garbage and recycling containers, lumber, trash, and patio accessories away from the house.
- Remove all dead and dying weeds, grass, plants, shrubs, trees, and vegetative debris (leaves, needles, cones, bark, etc.). Check your roofs, gutters, decks, porches, and stairways.
- No vegetation is recommended within 5’ of any structure.
- Remove tree limbs that extend into this zone. Remove fire-prone tree varieties if they extend into this zone.
- Relocate combustibles from under decks or overhangs. Move stored combustibles inside or at least 30’ from any structure.
- Use inorganic, non-combustible mulches such as stone or gravel.
- Hardscaping is strongly recommended around the base of structures.
- Consider relocating boats, RVs, and vehicles outside this zone.
➡️ Here are resources to help you protect your home:
Use ignition-resistant materials and design tips from Fire Safe Marin.
Use this low-cost retrofit list developed by Cal-fire as a best practices guide to ensure your home is more ignition-resistant from wildfires.
Learn about the other zones around your home and how to best maintain them to decrease the risk of wildfire spreading to your home.
