If you need to evacuate, do not leave water running on your lawn or home, it diminishes water pressure in systems used by firefighters.
During the Caldor Fire in 2021, water purveyors around Lake Tahoe reported an alarming trend of residents leaving irrigation, garden hoses and sprinklers on roofs actively running when they evacuated their homes. This can leave tanks dangerously low when firefighters need fast access to water from fire hydrants to protect homes.
Residents also called fire districts during the Caldor Fire to ask if they should spray down roofs and vegetation before evacuating. This is not effective, as the roof will dry quickly, as will the vegetation, which doesn’t protect the home itself. Wide-scale activation of sprinklers and garden hoses dramatically reduces water pressure in the entire region.
Evacuation preparedness efforts are better spent on removing combustible materials away from homes. Learn more about defensible space and home hardening in this guide. | tahoelivingwithfire.com
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