Fire danger in Prescott (Prescott Valley, Chino Valley: real estate, houses, neighborhoods)

[Garblefarf.]

I have visited Prescott several times, and find it a very pleasant town. I might consider relocating to Prescott someday. I do have a question about the areas to the south and southwest of town, regarding fire potential. There certainly are many attractive neighborhoods to choose from, and many are attractive because of the profusion of trees.

But my first reaction when I drove into the southern area west of 89 was: this is going to go up like a tinderbox someday. And most of the houses themselves are of wood construction and not very fire resistant. Now, am I imagining too much and worrying over small things, or is this a real concern? And if it is, is anything being done about it, such as thinning out trees, clearing vegetation, etc.

Any thoughts, opinions, etc. appreciated.

[esselcue]

Any wooded area can be a fire danger and we in the Prescott area fight fires every year...but people are constantly warned about keeping a firesafe barrier around their homes and yes, the fire district holds controlled burns and slash fires all the time to keep down the threat. So, I don't think it's any more dangerous here than in any wooded, pine-tree covered area

[Gretchen B]

We had a big fire back in 2002 that did threaten the homes on the south edge of town, but fortunately it was contained before it made its way into any subdivisions. If you drive south of town on 89A you'll see evidence of the fire. Because of that fire, it has created somewhat of a defensible space around the south end of town. Plus, as esselcue mentioned, the Forest Service has been very diligent about doing controlled burns each year. This doesn't mean, though, that there might not be an isolated fire started by lightening, but it shouldn't threaten a large area of homes and should be able to be controlled fairly quickly. Frankly, I worry just as much about a grassland fire in Chino Valley or Prescott Valley outlying areas. Those can spread really fast and are sometimes even harder to stop.

[Garblefarf.]

Dear ess & Gretchen -- Thanks for your thoughts. Very useful. There's nothing like local knowledge, especially when it isn't from someone trying to sell a house....

[Garblefarf.]

Woops -- I just discovered through Google that Gretchen B is a real estate agent! No hard feelings, I once was one myself, wiped out by the Carter administration interest rates. Glad I'm not one now.

[checkthecodes]

The more remote you are the more chances of losing a home. Lightning, hikers and campers from out of the area are the most causes of our fires. At least we have a great air attack group out of Prescott Airport and great specialized fire crews. The thining of forest helps prevents large major fires but that's not always 100% a guarantee. The bark beatle infestation has killed a lot of trees and they are the ones to worry about . The best policy is to keep the area around a house clear from trash, leaves and anything that burns I don't know the codes in Arizona but some states ask for 30 foot clearance. Plant plants that fire friendly and won't burn. If you build a fire resistant home that helps a lot.... So it's a roll of the dice and how remote you want to be and what your home is built of..... Here's a link I found that might be of interest http://www.cityofprescott.net/_d/fir...check_list.pdf