Home Hardening

Why this zone is the most dangerous

The area within five feet of your home, called Zone 0, is the highest-risk zone during a wildfire. Embers collect at the base of walls, on steps, and on decks. In this zone, any combustible material can ignite your home directly.

Routine Maintenance

Needed for Zone 0 Compliance

Remove dry leaves, wood piles, doormats, and any dead or dying plants touching the structure. Do a full walk-around and check steps, decks, and the base of all exterior walls. 

Intermediate Upgrade

Needed for Zone 0 Compliance

Wood and bark mulch within five feet of your home provide a location for embers to catch. This gives flames direct access to the structure. Swap it out for gravel, pavers, cement, or other noncombustible ground cover. Replace combustible gates and fences in Zone 0 with noncombustible alternatives. 

Major Replacement

Wood decks and steps directly against the home are especially vulnerable. When replacing, choose concrete, composite, or other ignition-resistant materials.

Why fencing and gates are vulnerable

• A combustible fence attached to your home acts as a fire highway. Once ignited, it carries flames directly to the structure. This is one of the most preventable ways a home ignites during a wildfire.
• Vinyl fencing won't ignite from embers alone but will melt from radiant heat and burn when exposed to direct flame from nearby debris. It is not a safe alternative to metal or fiber cement near the home.

Routine Maintenance

Remove leaves, dead plants, and any combustible materials piled against or near gates and fences. Vegetation growing along a fence is a direct ignition path. Ensure any gate can open without power to accommodate emergency vehicle access.

Intermediate to Major Upgrade

Needed for Zone 0 Compliance

You don't necessarily need to replace an entire fence to significantly reduce your risk. The first five feet where the fence meets the home is the most vital to replace. However, if your existing fence runs within five feet of your home's exterior, this zone likely covers that entire fence run. In this case, it will be a more significant project. 

Major Replacement

When replacing gates or full fence runs, choose aluminum, steel, fiber cement, or masonry. Parallel combustible fences should be at least 10 feet from the home. If two neighboring combustible fences run parallel, that distance increases to 20 feet.

Why decks are vulnerable

• Embers collect in the gaps between deck boards and beneath the deck. In this location, accumulated leaves, debris, and stored items can ignite and spread to the deck boards. 
• Decks on slopes are especially high-risk. Uphill flame spread from vegetation below can reach the underside of an overhanging deck quickly.
• Combustible items commonly kept on decks, including furniture cushions, doormats, firewood, brooms, and umbrellas, give embers easy fuel right against the exterior wall of your home.

Routine Maintenance

Needed for Zone 0 Compliance

Remove all leaves, needles, and debris from the deck surface and from gaps between boards. Clear everything stored under the deck including furniture, firewood, and any other combustibles. Move or store patio furniture, cushions, and doormats away from the structure on Red Flag days. 

Intermediate Upgrade 

Needed for Zone 0 Compliance

Replace any combustible mulch or vegetation under and within five feet of the deck with hardscape: gravel, pavers, or concrete. This applies to all decks, whether they are made out of noncombustible materials or not.

Major Replacement

Enclose the vertical sides of the deck with noncombustible or ignition-resistant material to block ember entry. Avoid lattice or wood screening, which ignites easily. When replacing deck boards, choose materials that meet the California Wildland-Urban Interface Code standards. Replace any rotted or damaged boards now, as decayed wood ignites far more easily than sound wood.

Why gutters are vulnerable

• Leaf and debris buildup gives embers a place to ignite along your roofline. Even a small accumulation can catch and spread fire to the roof assembly beneath.
• Vinyl gutters can melt or catch fire directly, exposing unprotected combustible areas of your roof.
• Gaps between the gutter and roofline allow embers to enter and smolder inside the structure.

Routine Maintenance

Remove all leaf and debris buildup before fire season. Make it a habit to repeat this each spring and fall. 

Intermediate Upgrade

Metal mesh guards block debris from accumulating and are far more ember-resistant than plastic alternatives.

Major Replacement

When it's time to replace, choose aluminum or steel gutters. Also ensure a metal drip edge is installed along the roofline to fully close the gap above your gutter system.

Why vents are vulnerable

• Vents are one of the most common ways embers enter a home. Attic, soffit, eave, gable, and foundation vents are all potential entry points.
• Standard 1/4" mesh screens have openings large enough to let embers pass through. Fiberglass and plastic mesh can melt and burn, making them ineffective.
• Once inside, embers can settle on insulation or stored materials and ignite your home from the inside out.

Routine Maintenance

Walk your home and locate every vent. These are located in the attic, soffits, eaves, gables, and foundation. Check for damage, gaps around the frame, missing screens, or plastic and fiberglass mesh that could melt in a fire.

Intermediate Upgrade

Replace any standard 1/4" screens with fine noncombustible metal mesh. Never use fiberglass or plastic as these materials will melt.

Major Replacement

Replace all screened vents. The California Wildland-Urban Interface Code has approved ember-resistant vents that block embers while maintaining normal airflow.

Why eaves and soffits are vulnerable

• The soffit is the material under your roof overhang. Open soffits trap heat and embers underneath, giving fire direct access to the roof structure above.
• Wood and vinyl soffit materials can ignite or melt, and gaps between rafter tails and blocking are common ember entry points into the attic.
• Once fire enters through an open or damaged eave, it can spread along the roof deck or into the attic before any visible flames appear on the exterior.

Routine Maintenance

Needed for Zone 0 Compliance

Walk your roofline and look for any gaps, cracks, or rot between rafter tails and blocking. Remove all vegetation, leaves, and combustible material stored directly below the eaves.

Intermediate Upgrade

Plug any openings around exposed ends of roof rafters using fire-resistant caulk or sealant. Even small gaps are enough for embers to enter and smolder in the attic.

Major Upgrade

Install a flat, horizontal soffit using fiber-cement board, stucco, or other noncombustible material. This will trap less heat than angled ones. If you have exposed wood in this area, cover or replace it with a fire-resistant alternative.

Why windows and doors are vulnerable

• Heat from a wildfire can crack single-pane windows before flames ever reach your home. Once windows are broken, embers and fire have a direct path inside.
• Gaps greater than 1/8" around door frames and thresholds are wide enough for embers to enter. Combustible door framing and wood trim accelerate ignition at these openings.
• Door screens and window screens made of fiberglass or plastic can melt or burn, eliminating a critical layer of ember protection.

General Maintenance

Check every exterior door and window for gaps larger than 1/8" at the frame, threshold, and sides. Fiberglass or plastic screens should be replaced. Remove all combustible materials and vegetation within five feet of windows and glass doors.

Intermediate Upgrade

Apply weather stripping and fire-resistant caulk around all door frames and thresholds to close any gaps. Replace fiberglass or plastic window and door screens with corrosion-resistant metal mesh. Metal screens significantly reduce radiant heat exposure and block embers.

Major Replacement

Tempered glass is about four times more resistant to heat-induced breakage than standard glass. When replacing windows, choose dual-pane units with at least one tempered pane and noncombustible metal framing where possible. Exterior doors should be solid-core or fire-rated. Hollow-core doors provide little resistance to ember intrusion or heat.

Why garages are vulnerable

• Embers can enter a garage as easily as dust through gaps around the door, windows, and vents. Once inside, they can ignite stored materials and burn the home from the inside out with no visible exterior warning.
• Most garages contain highly flammable materials, including gasoline, paint, propane, and solvents. These are stored near vehicles, power tools, and other ignition sources. A single ember igniting this mix can rapidly overwhelm the structure.
• Power outages are common during wildfires. An electric garage door with no battery backup can trap vehicles or block emergency access when its needed most.

Routine Maintenance

Move flammable liquids away from vehicles, water heaters, and electrical panels. Keep combustibles off the floor and away from the door. Locate and practice using the manual release cord on your garage door so you can open it without power during an evacuation.

Intermediate Upgrade

Apply a rubber or specialized fire-resistant seal around and under the garage door to block ember entry. Standard garage doors have significant gaps at the bottom and sides. Add metal flashing at the door jambs and header where the door meets the frame. Install a battery backup for the garage door opener so it functions during a power outage.

Major Replacement

Garage windows are often overlooked. Upgrade them to dual-pane tempered glass and replace any fiberglass or plastic vent screens with 1/16" to 1/8" corrosion-resistant metal mesh. If the wall between your garage and living space is not already fire-rated drywall, consider upgrading it. This is your last line of defense if a fire starts inside the garage.

Why siding is vulnerable

• Siding is generally less vulnerable than other parts of your home. With proper vegetation management, most siding can resist a typical wildfire exposure. The bigger risk is what's near it, not the material itself.
• Combustible siding, like wood boards and vinyl, can provide a path for flames to spread upward and penetrate into the wall, especially when vegetation or debris is too close.
• Gaps, holes, rot, and penetrations larger than 1/8" in any siding material are ember entry points. Even if the siding itself is fire-resistant, gaps in it are not.

Routine Maintenance

Needed for Zone 0 Compliance

Remove all plants, vines, leaves, and combustible materials from against your home's exterior walls. This is especially important in internal corners where debris accumulates. This single step significantly reduces your siding's ignition risk regardless of the material.

Intermediate Upgrade

Inspect all exterior walls for gaps larger than 1/8", rot, holes, and failed caulk joints. This is most important at internal corners, trim edges, and where siding meets the foundation or roofline. Seal with fire-resistant caulk and replace any rotted or damaged boards. Decayed siding ignites far more easily than sound material.

Major Replacement 

When replacing siding, choose from a range noncombustible options: fiber cement, stucco, brick, stone, or metal. If replacing the full exterior isn't feasible, prioritize the lower portion of the wall first. Replacing at least the bottom 6 - 12 inches with fiber cement or stucco significantly reduces ignition risk from fuels at the base of the house.   

What you should know first

Exterior sprinkler systems can help protect your home, but they are a supplement to, not a replacement for, the measures above. Complete the other sections of this checklist first. A sprinkler system on an unprepared home provides far less protection than a fully hardened home without one. 

Routine Maintenance

Before fire season, confirm your outdoor hose spigots are functioning and that you have at least one hose long enough to reach all sides of your home. Know where your main water shutoff is. During a Red Flag Day, keep hoses connected and accessible, not stored in the garage.

Intermediate Upgrade

Basic pop-up or fixed sprinkler heads can be installed along your roofline and connected to a standard hose spigot. These wet down the roof and walls before embers land, reducing ignition potential. Ensure your water supply can sustain adequate pressure for the duration of a fire event. During a wildfire, municipal water pressure can drop significantly during as demand spikes across the neighborhood.

Major Replacement

Integrated systems combine roof-mounted and perimeter sprinkler heads with automated activation, battery backup, and independent water storage. This ensures they function even during power outages and municipal water pressure drops. Systems designed to Oakland's terrain and lot size should be evaluated and installed by a licensed contractor.

What you should know first

All of the recommendations in this guide apply equally to mobile and manufactured homes. Embers are the most common cause of ignition for both site-built and manufactured homes. The same vulnerabilities exist, and the same fixes work.

Manufactured homes often have features that require extra attention. This includes attached decks, stairs, and the underfloor space beneath the home. These are high-priority areas that are easy to overlook and easy to address.

Routine Maintenance

Needed for Zone 0 Compliance

Remove all combustible materials from attached decks and stairs including cushions, doormats, stored items, and debris. Clear the underfloor space beneath the home of leaves, debris, and stored combustibles. This is one of the highest-impact steps you can take with no cost.

Intermediate Upgrade

Install 1/8" corrosion-resistant metal mesh skirting around the perimeter of the home to block ember entry into the underfloor space. This is one of the most common ignition paths in manufactured homes. Apply the same mesh to any open deck framing. Replace any plastic or fiberglass vent screens on the skirting or foundation with metal mesh.