What homeowners can do to stay safe during a wildfire

Every wildfire season, insurers, fire departments and safety officials advise the public and insureds on safety measures to take before a fire to minimize property damage and prevent physical harm. In recent years, these loss prevention and resiliency measures have become growingly important in combating a 'new normal' of historically devastating and deadly wildfire seasons. In California, the 2017 wildfire season became the worst on record, only for 2018 to prove even more deadly and destructive. In 2017, fires destroyed more than 10,800 structures in California — more than the previous nine years combined. Worse, 2018 experienced a total of 8,054 fires burned over 1.8 million acres, the largest area of burned acreage recorded in a fire season, and over 17,800 structures were lost. There are a number of critical actions home and property owners should take during a fire if and when they find themselves in the crosshairs. If ever facing an imminent wildfire threat, the first step to take is to monitor the local news and evacuate when ordered to do so. When not evacuating or before leaving, if time allows, there are a few property protection measures to take that could make all the difference in defending a home or business. In the slideshow above, discover a series of tips from Chubb on what homeowners can do to stay safe during a wildfire. See also:

• 10 natural disaster safety tips
• 6 preparedness tips for severe weather events
• Wildfire event response: How P&C insurers can help fix it