Serene Lakes Residence Earns IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home Designation - Truckee Fire Encourages Community to Join the Effort
TRUCKEE, Calif. (May 27, 2026) – A home in Serene Lakes recently earned a Wildfire Prepared Home designation from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) – an important first step in much larger community-wide efforts to mitigate the effects of wildfire in the Truckee/Donner Summit region.
Chase Cambron is no stranger to wildfire. In 2017, the Tubbs Fire ravaged Napa and Sonoma counties, destroying 5,636 structures, including more than 2,800 homes. Cambron’s residence was one of them, a victim of a glowing-hot, windblown ember.
“It’s not something I want to go through again; it was a horrible experience,” Cambron said. “Once you have lived it, you never want to go through it again.”
The Cambrons’ Serene Lakes property was built in the late 1990s. It already had a metal roof, and the first floor was constructed from block masonry. Additional steps taken to make the residence more fire resistant included extensive thinning of nearby lodgepole pine trees, installing ember- and flame-resistant eave vents and creating a noncombustible gravel area in front of the residence that doubles as a second patio area.
The Cambrons’ property qualifies for IBHS’s Wildfire Prepared Home designation, meeting essential requirements to protect against embers.
“Other than replacing the wood siding and decks, we have done everything we can do to protect our home – but it really takes a community,” Cambron said.
The first IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home was designated in June 2022 in Paradise, Calif., home of the deadliest wildfire in state history and the second deadliest fire in the U.S. in the last 100 years. The Camp Fire killed 85 people and destroyed more than 18,000 structures, including over 9,000 homes.
Home-to-home ignition accounted for the majority of structures lost in the Camp Fire, and more recently, in the Palisades and Eaton fires in Southern California, which combined destroyed more than 16,000 structures – mostly homes – in January 2025.
Steve Hawks, IBHS senior director for wildfire, said a primary mission of IBHS is to investigate how wildfires impact homes and businesses, and what mitigation actions home and business owners can take to reduce risk and give their properties a chance at survival.
Mitigations required for an IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home designation include:
Class A fire-rated roofing materials
Noncombustible gutters and downspouts
Ember- and flame-resistant vents or covered with 1/8-inch metal mesh
6 inches of ground clearance for exterior walls
A 5-foot noncombustible zone around the entire house and decks
Maintained defensible space with appropriately spaced vegetation, structures, and other connective fuels; cleared debris; and removed firewood from near the home.
Remove combustible fencing and gates within 5 feet of home
Accessory structures need to be at least 10 feet from the home and have a 5-foot noncombustible zone around them
In addition to these requirements, IBHS offers an enhanced level of protection that builds upon the essential mitigations to protect against embers by requiring upgrades that also protect against flames and radiant heat. These improvements include installing noncombustible siding and decking materials, enclosing eaves, upgrading windows and doors, moving accessory structures at least 30 feet from the main house, and removing any parallel fencing.
“Wildfire resilience requires a comprehensive set of actions that work together to reduce a home’s vulnerability to wildfire,” said Hawks. “The important thing is for homeowners to get started today. Each upgrade helps build toward earning a Wildfire Prepared Home designation while making homes more survivable and insurable.”
“That same commitment to wildfire resilience must extend beyond individual homes and across entire communities,” Hawks added. IBHS recently released its Community Wildfire Risk Reduction Toolkit, which gives communities a step-by-step framework for working together on wildfire mitigation. Wildfire risk doesn’t stop at property lines, and what one homeowner does can directly affect their neighbors, which is why coordinated, community-level action is so important.
According to IBHS, more than 2 million homes in California are at risk.
“Less than one percent of fires lead to over 95 percent of all structure damage and loss,” Hawks said. “A very small subset of fires cause the vast majority of structure loss, and it’s that fire that we need to prepare homes and communities to withstand.”
Truckee Fire urges homeowners in the Truckee/Tahoe region to pursue the IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home designation. Truckee Fire staff can guide homeowners through every step of the process at no cost — and will reimburse the IBHS application fee for homeowners who earn the designation. Here’s how to get started:
Schedule a free, in-person defensible space evaluation with Truckee Fire and let the inspector know you’re interested in the IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home program. Truckee Fire staff will walk you through the property documentation process — including the photos and video required for the IBHS application — at no charge.
Start with your defensible space maintenance work by utilizing Truckee Fire’s green waste pick-up program and dumpster rebates.
Thoughtfully plan and complete your home hardening upgrades and use Truckee Fire’s $2,000 Home Hardening Rebate Program to help with things like 5 feet of hardscaping, vents, fences, and enclosing low-elevation decks.
Complete the IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home application by submitting the required photos and documentation. Homeowners who earn the designation receive a reimbursement of the IBHS application fee from Truckee Fire.
Homeowners can download IBHS’s How-To Prepare My Home Checklist to identify vulnerabilities around their property and better understand the steps they can take to reduce wildfire risk. Some items are low-cost DIY projects, while others may require hiring a contractor.
Truckee Fire Protection District offers residents multiple wildfire prevention programs. TFPD is also overseeing and assisting in the implementation of multiple regional fuels reduction and forest health programs to help prevent and mitigate the effects of catastrophic wildfire.
“Let’s work together to build a wildfire-resilient Truckee,” said Eric Horntvedt, TFPD Wildfire Prevention Manager.