Spring Wildfire Prevention in Virginia: Protect Your Home

Why spring burning is riskier

In late winter and early spring, winds are usually higher and humidity is lower. Leaves on the forest floor have dried out all winter. Put those together and a debris fire can get away from you faster than you expect.

Late in the day, things change: after 4 p.m., the wind usually calms and humidity rises. That is the thinking behind Virginia's 4 PM Burning Law.

From February 15 through April 30, Virginia bans open-air burning before 4:00 p.m. within 300 feet of woods or dry grass. Burning from 4:00 p.m. to midnight is allowed with precautions, and the fire must be attended at all times.

That is only a summary. For the full law, including burn bans and penalties, read Virginia's 4 PM Burning Law in our burning guide.

Debris burning: the number one cause of wildfires

Debris burning, such as burning a pile of leaves or brush, is the number one cause of wildfires, according to the Virginia Department of Forestry. A pile of leaves or brush can look harmless, but wind carries embers, and in spring there is plenty of dry fuel on the ground for them to land in.

If you do not burn, there is no fire to escape. Composting and mulching are alternatives to burning, and neither one can spread into the woods.

If you do decide to burn, treat it as a task that needs your full attention from the first match to cold ashes. The checklist further down this page covers each step.

Clear a defensible space

A defensible space is the cleared area around your home, where a fire has less to burn as it gets close to the house. BVFD's advice is to create one by clearing brush 30 feet or more from your home.

Start close to the house and work outward until you reach 30 feet or more. Do this work before spring rather than in the middle of the burning season. The brush you clear becomes debris, so plan what to do with it: compost or mulch it if you can, and if you burn it, follow the checklist below.

These tips are also listed under Wildfire Prevention on our home fire safety page.

Roofs, gutters and fire-resistant landscaping

Dead leaves collect on roofs and in gutters, and they are the same dry fuel that makes spring risky on the forest floor. Clean your gutters and roof of dead leaves and debris regularly, not only when you happen to notice them.

When you plant, build or repair, use fire-resistant landscaping and building materials. A yard cleared of brush does less good if the roof above it is full of dry leaves, so treat the house and the yard as one project.

If you burn: the short checklist

BVFD does not issue burn permits and cannot give permission to burn. Before you light anything, work through these checks yourself:

1. Check for a burn ban. A county burn ban overrides the 4 PM Law at any time of year. In Louisa County, call Louisa County Fire & EMS at 540-967-3491, or the station at 540-872-2400.
2. Check the weather. Postpone burning on a dry, gusty or breezy day, because wind carries embers.
3. Have your tools ready. Water, a rake and a shovel, before you start.
4. Stay with the fire until it is out.
5. Drown the ashes. Soak them, stir them, and soak them again until they are cold.

The burning guide lays out these steps in more detail under Safe burning, step by step.

If a fire escapes: call 911

If your fire gets away from you, call 911 immediately. Do not wait to see whether it burns itself out. Keep a charged phone with you the whole time you burn, so you can make that call right away.

Whoever started the fire is responsible for the cost of putting it out. That is one more reason to burn only on a calm day, with your tools ready, and to stay with the fire the whole time.

How BVFD fights brush fires

BVFD has two trucks for grass and brush fires:

• Brush 3, an International 1800 4x4, does off-road initial attack on grass, brush and wildland fires around Lake Anna. It carries 300 gallons and pumps 300 gallons per minute.
• Attack 3, a Ford F-550, is the primary brush fire unit. It carries 300 gallons of water and 20 of foam, and pumps 100 gallons per minute.

Water is the other half of the work. Many parts of the district have no fire hydrants, so Tanker 3 carries 3,000 gallons and drafts water from Lake Anna and area ponds.

The people on these trucks are volunteers. If you would like to serve with them, see Become a Volunteer Firefighter or EMT.

Plan ahead: evacuation, alerts and a visible address

• Have an evacuation plan. Agree on how everyone will get out and where you will meet. The Make a Home Fire Escape Plan guide covers an escape plan and a meeting place.
• Sign up for Louisa County emergency alerts, so you hear about trouble early.
• Make your address easy to see. Crews need to find your driveway. BVFD offers reflective 911 Address Signs for this.
• Read the law before the season starts. This page is about prevention. The law itself, including burn bans and the rule that applies all year, is explained on Virginia's 4 PM Burning Law.

For non-emergency safety questions, call the station at 540-872-2400. If a fire is spreading, call 911.