Why aren’t homes in wildfire prone areas protected by a sprinkler system?

2.09K views

Is there anything stopping me from an engineering standpoint installing a water tower on my property and making sprinklers around a radius of my home to drench the area in case of wildfire?

In: 83

35 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

A wildfire is not like a house fire or any other common fire you might think of. It moves slow and burns vast areas and amounts of flammable material, which makes it very hot. This means that simply soaking cannot help much because the water will dry out and evaporate pretty much immediately, as will any water you sprinkle after the flaming front has arrived at your house.

Your best bet to protect your house from a wildfire is to make sure the perimeter of the house is not flammable, and also that the house itself is not flammable. Reinforced concrete construction, no wooden elements like shutters or a wooden roof also help, and a concrete, stone, or just dirt perimeter around the house, so that no burning trees or leaves or pinecones can get to the house, is enough.

I live in Greece which is ravaged by wildfires every year, and I know people whose houses have been burned and people whose houses were right in the thick of it but came out of it with only minor exterior damage.

You are viewing 1 out of 35 answers, click here to view all answers.