Firefighting agencies, Nevada Fire Safe Council, University of Nevada and University of California Cooperative Extensions’ Living with Fire program and others are hosting the inaugural Lake Tahoe Basin Wildfire Summit from 9am-5pm July 9 at Harvey’s Casino in Stateline.

The goal of the summit is to motivate and empower residents to take action now to protect homes and communities from embers that can attack during a wildfire.

The summit will provide information and tools to assist residents to reduce wildfire risks to their homes and communities in the Lake Tahoe Basin. Speakers will provide an overview of fire issues in the Tahoe basin three years after the Angora Fire of 2007 destroyed 254 homes in Lake Tahoe.

Topics include Tahoe basin rules and resources for creating defensible space around homes, how to improve the structural components of homes to better withstand wildfire embers, and how insurance companies rate homes for their fire hazards. Break out sessions will be held with staff from each Tahoe basin fire agency about specific concerns in their district in order to develop recommendations for reducing wild-fire risk in each basin community.

All residents and homeowners in the Lake Tahoe Basin are invited to attend. There is no cost, but registration is required. To register, go to www.livingwithfire.info/tahoe.

This summit is part of the Lake Tahoe Basin inaugural Wildfire Awareness Week July 3-11.