Wildfire Knowledge Graph · Built Environment
A deck, fence, awning, trellis or other combustible feature connected to or touching a structure and capable of transferring fire to it.
In plain language
A deck, fence, awning, trellis or other combustible feature connected to or touching a structure and capable of transferring fire to it.
Why it matters
Combustible Attachment is useful because it separates one specific part of wildfire behaviour, exposure, operations or evidence from nearby concepts that can otherwise be mixed together.
Combustible attachments can bridge a cleared perimeter
A combustible attachment is a feature such as a wooden fence, deck, pergola or similar component that can transmit fire exposure toward a structure. The crucial question is not only whether the attachment can burn, but how it connects burning materials to walls, openings and roofs.
Site example: a timber fence directly connected to siding may create a flame pathway even where the intervening ground is paved. The absence of vegetation in the near-home zone does not eliminate the combustible connection.
Assess junctions, geometry, potential ember traps and the suitability of noncombustible breaks or alterations allowed by local standards. An apparent distance between two building footprints may be much shorter when attached features are considered.
Changes to structural attachments can affect load-bearing elements, access and weatherproofing. Retrofit details should be designed and installed appropriately rather than improvised from a single photograph or a generic web checklist.
Related: Fence-to-Structure Pathway and Deck Ignition.