Checklist L1 · 72 hours Event · Wildfire evacuation

Wildfire 72-hour evacuation checklist

The 72-hour wildfire checklist — the evacuation go-bag, the smoke-air defense, and the photo-and-document run that has to happen before you smell it.

A wildfire 72-hour window is rarely an outage window. It is a leaving window. The variables are wind direction, evacuation order, and whether the air outside is breathable. This checklist assumes a fire is within 50 miles, conditions are dry, and a Red Flag warning is up. The work is sequenced for two outcomes at once: you are ready to leave on five minutes' notice, and you are ready to stay another 48 hours in air that may not be safe to breathe.

The load-bearing domains

What this combination actually depends on

Every event–duration combination weights the nine domains differently. Here are the two or three that decide the outcome for this one.

Shelter & Warmth

Roof, heat, dry.

The fight is two-front: prepare to leave, and prepare to shelter in air that may be unbreathable. Indoor air quality is the inside of the shelter prep.

The shelter & warmth domain →

Health & First Aid

Care when help is far.

Smoke inhalation is the casualty driver in wildfire events. N95s, a clean room, and inhaler refills are the medical prep that matters.

The health & first aid domain →

Documents & Finance

Paper trails matter.

Of every event in the playbook library, wildfire is the most likely to take your house to zero. The documents bag is what lets you rebuild.

The documents & finance domain →

The 72 hours list

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Pack the go-bag and put it by the doorFive-minute notice is the realistic evacuation window in a fast-moving fire. The bag holds 72 hours of clothes, meds, documents, phone chargers, and pet supplies. Pre-packed beats improvised every time.
Photograph every room, open every drawerInsurance claims on a total loss live or die on dated photos. Run the camera through every closet, drawer, and cabinet. Upload to cloud before the network drops.
Documents in a fireproof bag — bring it with youIDs, insurance, deeds, titles, social security cards, prescriptions list, a list of account numbers and contacts. A small fireproof document bag fits in the go-bag.
N95 or P100 masks, one per person, plus sparesParticulate respirators rated N95 or higher filter the small particles that cause the worst smoke damage. Surgical masks and bandanas do not. One mask per person per day in a smoke event.
A clean room — sealed, with a portable air filterPick the interior room with fewest windows. Tape over gaps. Run a HEPA air purifier inside, or a box-fan-and-MERV-13 DIY filter. This is where the household sleeps when AQI passes 150.
Clear defensible space within 30 feet of the houseMove firewood piles, propane tanks, and patio cushions away from siding. Cut back dry vegetation. Most house ignitions in a wildfire are embers landing on flammable material attached to the structure.
Two evacuation routes, both printed on paperFires close roads. The primary route may not be available; the secondary route may not be where you remember it. An atlas does not depend on cell signal. Mark gas stations.
Refill inhalers and respiratory medsSmoke triggers asthma and COPD events even in people who do not normally have them. If anyone in the household uses an inhaler, refill on day one of the watch, not day three of the warning.
Pet carriers staged by the door, with leashes and foodPets are the single biggest reason families re-enter evacuation zones. Carriers staged means the cat fits in the cat carrier on the first try.

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Common questions

Questions that come up

What air quality index is unsafe during a wildfire?

AQI under 50 is safe for most people. 51–100 is moderate. 101–150 is unhealthy for sensitive groups. Over 150 is unhealthy for everyone — limit outdoor exposure, run a clean room, and wear an N95 if you must go outside. Over 300 is hazardous — stay indoors with filtered air.

Will a regular dust mask protect me from wildfire smoke?

No. Wildfire smoke is dominated by particles smaller than 2.5 microns — too small for a surgical mask, a bandana, or a basic dust mask to filter. An N95 or P100 respirator rated for particulates is the minimum; a properly fitted N95 filters 95% of those particles.

How much defensible space do I really need around my house?

The first 30 feet around the structure (Zone 1) should be lean, clean, and green — no dry brush, no firewood against siding, no propane tanks near walls. The next 70 feet (Zone 2) should be reduced fuel — pruned, spaced, mowed. Most house ignitions are from embers landing on flammable material within Zone 1.

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Same event, different scope

Other wildfire evacuation durations

Same scope, different event

The 72-hour version for other events

Run the numbers

How much water and food, exactly, for this duration

The list above tells you what to stock. The calculators below tell you how much — sized to your household and this duration.

Go deeper