‘Ember Stomp,’ wildfire prevention festival gives North Bay homeowners tools to stay safe during fire season

MARIN COUNTY, Calif. (KGO) — In the North Bay, hundreds of residents learned how to be fire safe, know what to do and where to go during a wildfire emergency on Saturday.

“Ember Stomp,” a wildfire prevention festival Saturday at the Marin County Fairgrounds, where people are learning how to “harden” their landscapes, by creating at least five feet of defensible space around their homes, free of flammable plants like bamboo and juniper.

RELATED: ABC7 honors North Bay firefighter brothers for National Firefighter Appreciation Month

“Juniper is probably the most dangerous plant we see in people’s yards, commonly a landscape plant,” said an event announcer.

In a matter of seconds, a juniper bush went up in flames as an audience watched the live fire demo from a safe distance.

Next is Bamboo, so flammable that it ignites like a torch; both plants are commonly found in the Bay Area.

Sarah Schafer and Rashida Rencher were surprised by all the smoke and flames.

“Yes, because you could see how fast the fire spreads in a matter of seconds,” Shafer said.

RELATED: Fire burns historic mining town Chinese Camp after more than 10,000 lightning strikes across CA

“And how important it is to have fire-safe mulch, things are going to burn slowly,” said Rencher.

The fire demonstration is designed to grab attention.

“People do a better job of making their homes hardened with fire safe landscaping if they see the why behind it,” said Mark Brown, executive officer, Marin Wildfire Authority.

Homeowners got inspiration from fire-safe landscapes with drought tolerant plants. As the Bay Area heads into critical fire season, firefighters want everyone to be ready.

“In California, we’ve seen what devastating wildfires can do. It’s preventable, it’s predictable, next step is how you change your home in the event of a fire,” said Marin County Fire Chief Jason Weber.

During a wildfire emergency, experts say everyone should know at least two evacuation routes out of their neighborhood because one might be blocked.

“You want to make sure you have that conversation with your family, where would you go, how would you get out,” said neighborhood safety advocate Mattie Morgan.