If there were any doubts how deadly wildfires can be, last week’s Yarnell Fire should have removed them.

Credit: KTLA

A wildfire outside of Yarnell, AZ killed 19 members of a firefighting crew that were battling a blaze outside that small town.  By all accounts, the crew was well-trained and equipped to do their job.  However, the fire overwhelmed and killed them.

The lesson here is that wildfires are vicious and can turn deadly in a matter of moments.  They can kill even the best-trained and equipped first responders, so its important to take the danger of wildfires seriously.  I’ll discuss this subject in more depth in future posts but if you have property in wooded areas, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

• Be ready to evacuate quickly – Wildfires can happen suddenly and change direction without warning.  If there are fires anywhere near where you live, know that you may only have minutes to evacuate.
• Keep radios, flashlights, and batteries handy – Smoke and ash can create darkness even in the middle of the day.  Make sure you have flashlights so you can see even in obscured conditions.  Also, keep a radio handy so you can tune in to get up to date information on evacuations and other wildfire updates.
• Know your escape routes – If you have to evacuate, have multiple routes planned in advance.  Sometimes roads may be closed either due to the fire or for use by emergency personnel.  Keep this in mind and have primary and backup routes mapped-out.

There is much more but the key concept is to plan to deal with wildfires before they happen.