These small, inexpensive changes can help protect your home against wildfires

By Ella Nilsen, CNN

(CNN) — Hardening a home against wildfires doesn’t need to take thousands of dollars for a fire-resistant roof or siding, a California wildfire expert told CNN.

“It can be the smallest changes” that are simple and inexpensive, said Lenya Quinn-Davidson, a fire advisor and the Director of University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources Fire Network.

It’s all about getting potential fire fuels away from your home.

Quinn-Davidson said homeowners should walk around their properties and take note of where dry debris like leaves, wood and mulch have accumulated. Getting rid of these things that could become tinder for homes, and clearing five feet of space between the home and anything flammable, goes a long way in to keep a home from burning down.

Here are other steps homeowners can take to safeguard their homes:

• Replace vent screens — This is a simple step that can help prevent embers from getting into vents and traveling into a home’s attic – which can be one of the driest parts of a house.
• Clean gutters — Get rid of old dried leaves and other refuse that has gathered in gutters so that embers landing on a roof don’t catch them on fire.
• Clear out underneath decks — Wooden decks are another place where leaves and twigs can accumulate and dry out. Cleaning out this space is another big priority.
• Keep 5 feet of clear space around your home — If you have a yard make sure there is 5 feet of space between your home and anything flammable like wooden mulch or stacks of firewood. Clear these things away from your home. Quinn-Davidson said landscaping with non-flammable materials like a rock garden or cement or stone pathways can also help provide a barrier.

Quinn-Davidson said the wind-driven fires – like those in Los Angeles – are particularly challenging to prepare for due to the sheer force and unpredictability of the winds, but even the smallest changes can help protect your home from fires.

“I think people aren’t quite ready for this, but we should all be ready for it,” Quinn-Davidson said. “There’s nowhere in California that’s safe for this kind of event.”

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