🚗 Park facing out and keep the tank above half

In an evacuation, the difference between leaving in two minutes and leaving in twenty often comes down to how your vehicle is parked. PreparedBC and...

In an evacuation, the difference between leaving in two minutes and leaving in twenty often comes down to how your vehicle is parked. PreparedBC and Ready.gov both recommend backing into the driveway or garage so the vehicle is already pointed toward the road during fire season. Keep the fuel tank at least half full at all times — gas stations near an active fire often run dry or lose power, and lineups can stretch for hours. Keep a spare car key with your grab-and-go bag, not on a hook by the door. Load any pre-packed kits, important documents and irreplaceable items into the vehicle as soon as an evacuation alert is issued, not when an order arrives. If you have more than one driver, agree in advance which vehicles each person takes and where you meet if you become separated. For households with trailers, RVs or livestock trailers, practice hitching them in daylight before fire season — nobody should be learning how the safety chains work for the first time in a smoke-darkened evening.

Source: PreparedBC — Wildfires

Last reviewed 2026-05-02.

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