Swannanoa fire officials share tips on keeping your home safe during a wildfire
By Gerard Albert III
April 23, 2025 at 9:58 AM EDT
Western North Carolina is in the middle of the spring fire season – and, local leaders say, this year’s wildfires are worse because of Hurricane Helene.
Monday night, dozens of Swannanoa residents gathered at the United Methodist Church to hear from Swannanoa Deputy Fire Chief Larry Pierson. Pierson and the Swannanoa Grassroots Alliance scheduled the event to inform neighbors about how to make their homes safer during fire season. What they did not plan for was a small wildfire nearby.
Pierson arrived in his firefighting uniform, still smelling of smoke. The fire was mostly contained, he said, with help from the N.C. Forest Service.
READ MORE: Safety Kit: How to prepare for wildfires
Pierson spent an hour going over simple ways that residents could protect themselves and their homes.
“This could seem like a really big project to do all this stuff around your home to remove this, to add a couple things,” he said. “But just start with one thing on it. Just raking leaves away from the edge of the home is gonna be a huge impact on surviving that fire for your home.”
In addition to raking leaves, Pierson offered tips like clearing debris from roofs and gutters, trimming vegetation around the home, and having an evacuation plan.
He also offered fire risk assessments for any property in the county. The process includes scheduling an appointment for the fire department to visit and explain ways you can make your home more resilient to wildfires.
Swannanoa is no stranger to wildfires and has seen a few already this season. So far, no properties have been damaged.
Monday night, dozens of Swannanoa residents gathered at the United Methodist Church to hear from Swannanoa Deputy Fire Chief Larry Pierson. Pierson and the Swannanoa Grassroots Alliance scheduled the event to inform neighbors about how to make their homes safer during fire season. What they did not plan for was a small wildfire nearby.
Pierson arrived in his firefighting uniform, still smelling of smoke. The fire was mostly contained, he said, with help from the N.C. Forest Service.
READ MORE: Safety Kit: How to prepare for wildfires
Pierson spent an hour going over simple ways that residents could protect themselves and their homes.
“This could seem like a really big project to do all this stuff around your home to remove this, to add a couple things,” he said. “But just start with one thing on it. Just raking leaves away from the edge of the home is gonna be a huge impact on surviving that fire for your home.”
In addition to raking leaves, Pierson offered tips like clearing debris from roofs and gutters, trimming vegetation around the home, and having an evacuation plan.
He also offered fire risk assessments for any property in the county. The process includes scheduling an appointment for the fire department to visit and explain ways you can make your home more resilient to wildfires.
Swannanoa is no stranger to wildfires and has seen a few already this season. So far, no properties have been damaged.