I think that wind driven flames are very hard to defend against, and almost impossible for a homeowner to fight.
I underestimated grass fires until I saw one burn near me. I thought that I could fight a grassfire until I saw one. I then realized that you prepare for wildfire, but you don't fight a wildfire. You have to be ready for fire at all times. Don't get me wrong, I have water storage and a fire pump, but that is for fighting a house fire, not wildfires. I have had embers drop on us from fires that were miles away (at least fifteen miles away from one fire). Once we had embers falling out of a blue sky. Scary and creepy as all get out. For the last four years, we have had fires burn to the property line, or close to it, every year. (Arson, and wildfire) Sometimes, I have had time to fire up the fire pump to wet down the perimeter, sometimes not. Once we had to evacuate more than twenty four hours before the fire arrived. (So Barricade gel would have been useless.)
So, what follows are a few thoughts for someone who has lived with, and been close to wildfires for more than twenty years. It is free advice, and definitely worth what you are paying for it.
First, put your container on a big gravel pad, and keep the area grass and weed free. Then move fuels, solvents, etc. to a separate fireproof shed. Then, if you can, put a roof over the container to shed embers.
Second, a few things that you can do is thin brush, have cattle / burros/ goats graze the grass down to reduce the fire intensity, and limb up trees to prevent fire from spreading into trees. Chip or burn the trimmings. Each step helps reduce the intensity of the fire and increases the chances that your cabin survives.
When you do build your cabin, make choices to build a fire resistant cabin. Little details matter like having a fire proof roof, not having a roof that has places for leaves and embers to catch, no gutters, or screens on the gutters to keep embers out, and fine (less than 1/8" opening, preferably 1/16") screening on any vents in crawl spaces or attics or soffits. Obviously, choosing fire resistant choices in the cabin construction makes a huge difference. If you can, consider stucco walls, or cement siding for your cabin. Or consider an earth home. Use metal framed double or triple paned windows, and consider metal hurricane shutters that double as fire (and theft) prevention shutters. Have a coarse gravel perimeter around the cabin, and keep it free of weeds and plants. Have a stone or gravel patio, not a wood deck. Don't run a wood fence up to your cabin. I would consider having a driveway loop around the cabin area to have a non-flammable area near the cabin. It is all about depriving the fire of fuel near your cabin to reduce the fire intensity. Somethings are inexpensive, and some aren't.
We generally have an organic ranch, but we do use glyphosate to create bare earth immediately around the house, 30-100'. Purely done to reduce fire hazard. No wood bark or organic mulches in that area, though some flowers away from the house itself.
Some tips at
http://prepareforwildfire.org There are some nice forest service videos on YouTube on homes that did or didn't survive wildfires and what helped or hurt.
Some random thoughts: Bear in mind that any pipe that is above ground might be exposed to fire. Plastic pipes will melt/burn, and may drain your water system. That includes water tanks. Having rooftop sprinklers is great, if you have power, and will have power during a fire, but mostly I think that they make up for not having a roof that sheds embers. I would read the label on Barricade gel before you buy it. It needs to be applied just before the fire arrives, as it is only good for a few hours. I know of folks who have fire sprinklers to wet down the walls on their homes, but again, that depends on knowing when to turn them on, and having enough power and water to spray water for the duration. Don't leave invitations for fire around, like stacking wood against the house, or leaving furniture or cushions out where they can catch embers. Think about metal outside furniture, rather than plastic or wood. Keep your fuel in a fire resistant cabinet away from the house, ditto propane, like a long way. A 500 gallon propane tank makes for a big bang. If you have the space, and land for it, I would consider a pond. It won't burn, and might provide fire fighting water storage.
I hope that this helps.
No one thing will be enough, but each layer helps, and at the end of the day, you are as strong as the weakest link.
All the best,
Peter
