WHY?

In creating the Blaze simulation, the intent was not only to teach about the dangers of wildfires to your home, but also to show the proper steps to take to secure your house in preparation for a fire. With over 4,200 communities having wildfires that are bigger than 100 acres burn within 10 miles of their homes, it is crucial to understand what to do in case of a wildfire emergency.  Even if many people do not think they are at risk, wildfires are becoming more frequent, and the US Forest Service has spent up to 1.7 billion dollars on wildfire costs alone. It is our goal to minimize damage to your house in these catastrophic fires, but also to save the lives of the firefighters protecting homes in these communities. 

During Labor Day 2020, a wildfire destroyed the towns of Malden and Pine City, WA, in just a few hours. Wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour sent the fire across 15,000 acres. The fire burned down 20 homes and 100 buildings, including the fire station and post office.

Photo courtesy of National Interagency Fire Centerour paragraph here.