The San Diego Counties Damage Assessment team identified the two main reasons homes burned during the Rice Fire as “lack of defensible space and ignition-resistant construction.”

Roger Boddaert’s articles published in recent issues of the Village News primarily dealt with vegetation and defensible space issues. Now, it’s time to focus on ignition-resistant construction, or “Hardening the Structure.”

‘Hardening’ means taking steps to make your home and property more resistant to fires.

Flying embers and intense heat can easily ignite a dwelling, but there are simple things...