An Unexpected Neighbor

Join us as we follow Natalie Newcomer's journey through the perils and joys of living in the wildland-urban interface.

Autumn at the new house has been unbelievable. The cottonwoods around the nearby stream have dropped their bright gold leaves and the sagebrush behind the house has taken on a whole new smell: it’s crisper, cleaner, and headier.

When buying my house I thought only about the price, the beauty of the surrounding neighborhood and land, and the great schools my kids would be zoned for. It wasn’t until I spoke with a neighbor that the dots began to connect: my little community was smack dab in the middle of fire country. It turns out there’s a technical term for it: the wildland-urban interface. I chose a house on the edge of the wildland, and now a fire could run right up to my doorstep. So much for tarantulas and scorpions being the worst of my problems!

What is a homeowner to do? This is what insurance is for, right? Isn’t the best I can hope for is enough notice to evacuate my animals and prized possessions before we’re toast? Apparently not.

The Reno Gazette-Journal published a piece on Saturday about the two year anniversary of the Caughlin Fire. It talked about the chaos residents experienced during their middle of the night evacuations and the key issues that caused homes to burn. The author stakes the claim that these things could have been averted. People can have materials ready for evacuation, and practices around the home can give a structure a chance to survive against a storm of embers.

Exploring the Living With Fire website, referenced at the end of the article, I found a wealth of information on how to give my house a chance in a fire, and the firefighters a better opportunity to save it. Nevadans are industrious and ever expanding. We live in areas, even in the midst of cities and towns, that are wildfire prone. The costs can be high, but the rewards are endless with gorgeous skies, abundant wildlife, and rugged and beautiful Great Basin vegetation.

Join me as I learn about how to adapt to be part of a thriving and wildfire-safe community in a state where fire is part of the natural lifecycle!

More to come soon!

Natalie Newcomer