The risks can be high, including personal injury and death. With proper planning and implementation, the risk can be reduced but never eliminated. However, this requires a great deal of preparation and includes reducing fuel around your home, having an ignition-resistant home (noncombustible roof, screened vents, etc.), appropriate clothing and equipment, physical and mental preparedness, a good understanding of fire behavior, and the appropriate actions to take before, during, and after the fire. The level of risk will also depend on topography and fire conditions — the more extreme the fire behavior, the higher the risk of staying. Not all homes are defendable, and even well-prepared homes may be difficult to defend from extreme fire behavior. Staying with your home during a fire is a personal choice that each homeowner needs to make after careful consideration and preparation long before the fire starts. Homeowners who stay should not expect assistance from emergency responders who will be working to fight the whole fire.

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