A phrase we regularly hear when talking to people about preparing for bushfire is “I’m worried my neighbour’s poorly maintained property is a threat to my house”.

Research from the University of Tasmania has found that this is a common concern among people who live in bushfire-prone communities.

While it can be a legitimate concern, the best way you can protect your house from bushfire is to focus your efforts on the area immediately around your house – an area you have direct control over – and then work your way out.

In Australia ember attack is the way most houses are destroyed by bushfires. This happens when burning debris, such as twigs, leaves and bark, are carried by the wind and land on or around the house where they can easily ignite flammable material.

Common weak points for ember attack include open areas under houses, roofs and gutters, as well as gardens and long grass close to the house.

Protecting your home against ember attack is one of the most important actions you can take to prepare for bushfire, and it starts with the house itself and its immediate surroundings.

Let’s take the “red roof house” in Lahaina, Maui, for example. It is a 100-year-old timber house with a new metal roof built in a typical suburban street. The exceptional thing about this house is that it survived the catastrophic Hawaiian bushfires of August 2023, which destroyed every other house in the area. Interestingly, the owners of the house weren’t present during the bushfire, reinforcing the fact that passive protection, if applied correctly, works.

So, the question is why did this timber clad, historic house survive when others around it were destroyed?

The owners used a number of methods to upgrade and retrofit their house and reduce the potential bushfire fuel surrounding it.

A key upgrade to the house was replacing the old flammable asphalt roof with a new, non-combustible metal roof. This played an important role in saving the house as large flying embers could not set fire to the roof like they did to neighbouring houses.

Fortunately, by keeping roofs and gutters free of organic build-up and sealing gaps and holes we can gain a similar level of protection for our own homes. Sealing gaps around the house larger than two millimetres is also important to stop embers entering, while fresh, smooth surfaces like that of recently painted weatherboards help stop the build-up of embers on the house.

Installing downpipe valves make it easy to fill gutters with water safely from ground level, while gutter guards help keep out embers, both increasing a house’s defences.

The home owners in Maui had also lined the ground close to the house with stones all the way around and cut down foliage that was up against the outside walls. This meant that when embers fell from the roof, instead of igniting mulch and surrounding foliage, they simply went out.

Removing bushes, shrubs and branches within one metre of the house, keeping them well pruned out to three metres, and using hard mulch on garden beds next to the house is something everyone can do around their home. Hard mulch can be anything that doesn’t burn including stone, pebbles, gravel and shells.

Finally, the house benefited from having minimal combustible materials on or under the deck. The same applies anywhere around the house. For example, we can move wood piles and bulk stored flammables away from the house, so that if they do catch fire, the likelihood of radiant heat or direct flame destroying your home is greatly reduced.

You may be thinking – what does a house in Hawaii have to do with a house in Tasmania?

Even though the location is worlds apart, the principle is the same – a well-maintained house and garden helps increase your home’s protection from bushfire.