About 3,000 Vancouver residents have gotten postcards in mail warning them of the risk for wildfires within the city limits.

kgw.com Graphic

Two years ago a wildfire scorched a bluff just east of Fort Vancouver. Flames came within inches of several homes. The Vancouver Fire Department has identified the neighborhood as one of a number now at "high risk" for urban wildfires.

The fire department hopes the postcards will educate residents about the importance of creating a fire safety zone around their home. With extremely limited manpower these days, the fire department says it may not be able to save homes without that protective space.

“If the defensible space hasn't been created before that day when the fire is actually barring down on the home... there's a good chance we wont be able to take any action,” explained Battalion Chief Mike Senchyna.

Firefighters say you should have a 30 foot brush-free buffer around your home. But they say, if you live on a slope, you should extend that defensible space out 100 feet.