As people continue to light off fireworks in neighborhoods, some homeowners worry about fire dangers.

While you cannot control what other people do in your neighborhood around the Fourth of July, there are things you can do to reduce the risk of fire at your home. Some may sound obvious, but firefighters said they could make all the difference.

Here are five easy steps to take to protect your home:

  • Clean your gutters. Firefighters said this is the most important thing you can do to prevent a fire from spreading to your roof. Think of how quickly a spark could ignite dry leaves, pine needles, or brush in the gutter.
  • Put a sprinkler in your front yard and back yard.
  • Remove dry brush from around your home and any outbuildings. Firefighters call the dry debris ladder fuels because a spark could ignite dry brush on the ground that would spread upward to your home or shed.
  • Water bark around your home. Firefighters said this is one people often do not think about. If a spark lands in bark, it can smolder for two to four hours before catching fire and spreading underground toward your home. Firefighters call this tunneling.
  • Trim trees. If a tree catches fire and the branches are touching your house or hanging closely to your roof, firefighters said it can spread quickly to the house.

Need help cleaning out your gutters?  Give Gutter Boyz of Kentucky a call today at (270) 906-3055 or CLICK HERE to contact us.  With offices in Paducah and Benton, KY, Gutter Boyz is ready to help you with all of your gutter needs.