TN Department of Agriculture warns that homes built too close to tree lines could spark fires

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Finding the perfect spot to call home can be hard. That's part of the reason why many have flocked to more rural areas.

However, underneath the small-town charm, a risk lurks in the form of wildfires. They are increasing at an alarming rate in Tennessee, and the Department of Agriculture has taken notice.

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"As urbanization and people build residences, some of them build in and within the trees and not much access and so their not, some of them are not fire-ready," Commissioner with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Dr. Charlie Hatcher, said during this year's budget hearing.

Hatcher spoke about how dangerous wildfires can be, especially for homes.

"We want to save as many of these structures as we can and make sure people's whole lives don't go up in flames," Megan Carpenter with the state Department of Agriculture said.

However, it's often not as easy as it sounds. Carpenter explained the department has tracked that about 2 million new acres of land has been used for homes over the past few years. The department noted that many of the homes have been built against a forest or treeline, which can increase the risk of complications.

"What that does for us in wild and fire fighting is it makes it infinitely more complex to fight those fires because now we're not just dealing with trees and plants, we're also dealing with people's homes and communities," Carpenter added.

This year, the real-estate company Zillow has added climate risk data to home listings in partnership with First Street. First Street showed that more than homes in Nashville have a moderate Wildfire Risk over the next 30 years. That risk increases when analyzing more rural areas.

"[For a] structural fire, you take that hose and you spray on the building that is on fire and you put it out. With traditional wildfire fighting where you're not dealing with structures, basically you dig a trench around it with a bulldozer," Carpenter said. "And it basically contains the fire. When you throw homes and communities you can't just dig a hole or a trench around it and you can't just spray water on it."

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The department doesn't want to deter people from moving in or building their dream home, however, they do have suggestions on how to protect your home from a wildfire.

Tennessee suggests taking a few steps to plan for a fire emergency before it happens, including posting the number to the nearest fire department in an obvious location, having an evacuation plan in place and having enough clearance in your driveway for emergency vehicles.