Burning Season Hits West
Threat to Homes Underscores Lack of Prevention Measures

Listen to Howard Berkes' report for All Things Considered.

NPR's Howard Berkes (left) and Tim Sexton, a fire ecologist with the National Park Service, at the Green Knoll fire near Jackson, Wyoming. Photo: National Park Service

August 3, 2001 -- Wildfires are again burning across the western United States, and the flames are threatening more than just the wilderness.

Fire is a natural phenomenon in many ecosystems, but every year more and more people are building homes in or near the nation's forests, grasslands and desert scrub -- areas prone to wildfire.

The threat to private homes is reviving questions about whether people should live in those places, and who bears responsibility for protecting them.

NPR's Howard Berkes traveled to Jackson Hole, Wyoming this week, where a 4,000-acre blaze came close to destroying dozens of homes, some valued in the millions of dollars.

A thousand firefighters joined the effort to protect the homes. They used a quarter of the nation's firefighting air tankers and helicopters to drop 4 million gallons of water, fire retardant and fire-resistant foam.

A helicopter drops water on the flames. Photo:Tim Sexton, National Park Service

Many consider that a heroic effort -- and it worked. No homes burned, and homeowners are grateful. But the taxpayer tab for the blaze is $10 million, and in the aftermath it seems many of the homeowners were not prepared for wildfire.

Most of the threatened homes have wood shake or shingle roofs that easily ignite if not treated.

Also, most are built with logs or wood siding, and have brush and trees growing up against them. Some are on roads and driveways too narrow for fire engines.

But there's resistance in Wyoming, and elsewhere in the West, to telling people where and how they can live. Still, as more fires threaten more homes, local governments and insurance companies may be forced to impose restrictions.

Web Resources:

National Interagency Fire Center -- Reports about wildfires and information about protecting homes from wildfire.

Jackson Hole News -- Reports and a spectacular photo gallery of the Green Knoll fire, plus information about the Jackson area.