The area around your home should be a defensible space or zone, which can be maintained to reduce the spread of wildfires not only to your home but your neighbors as well.  As a home inspector I look for these issues  so I can inform the home owners of the danger.

The sketches below are taken from the InterNachi website and shows specific areas and distances from your home and how to prepare your landscape whether native or domestic to prevent the spread of fire.

With your home in the center, your roof and gutters should be kept clean form dried leafs and pine needles, and the first fifteen feet from your house should be kept clear of flammable materials such as firewood and grasses. Zone 2 from 15 feet to 125 feet, large trees and shrubs should be at least 10' apart and tree limbs should be trimmed to a height of 10 feet. The ground should be cleared of dried leaves, pine needles branches or other flammable materials.  Zone 3 is less restrictive, but trees should be kept healthy.

Colorado Springs is a beautiful place to live, please help keep it that way.