Something as simple as a tidy lawn or pathway in the yard can go a long way toward preventing a brushfire from reaching a home.

Those are just a few of the tips the Waikoloa Firewise Committee will share when it hosts a workshop Saturday at the Big Island's Waikoloa Elementary School cafeteria from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The free workshop is geared toward teaching people how to minimize the risk of losing their homes to blazes and comes on the heels of the brushfire that escalated near the Waikoloa Village recently, burning nearly 25,000 acres of brushland.

"The big misnomer is that people think that it's the big wall of flame (that burns down houses)," said Denise Laitinen, Firewise's community coordinator in Hawai'i since 2002. "Fire after fire, it's the little things that cause homes to be burned, and it's the little things that matter."

Laitinen said simple things like disposing of piled-up yard leaves as well as pruning tree branches lower than 6 feet help make sure a house stays out of reach of advancing flames. Fuel breaks, such as paths, driveways and mowed lawns are also important for "defensible space," she said.

The Waikoloa fire started Aug. 1 near Lalamilo Farms lots, causing county Civil Defense officials to call for the evacuation of an estimated 1,500 homes the following afternoon. The blaze came within yards of some homes.

Lanny Nakano, acting administrator for the Hawai'i County Civil Defense Agency, said a successful fuel break was the only thing that spared several homes in the area.

"It's (about) community involvement, so when the time comes everyone will be prepared," Nakano said. "The main thing is (property) upkeep. It has to be maintained all the time; you have to do it quarterly, or at least twice a year."

Ideally, homes should have a perimeter of about 30 feet free of things that could catch fire, according to Firewise's Web site. With many homes in Hawai'i densely packed together, the best residents can do is reduce the clutter up to their property line.

The danger of flare-ups also exists in the aftermath of a fire. Wind can carry embers of extinguished flames more than a mile, so Laitinen recommends residents cover open vents or "pukas underneath the house" with fine wire mesh.

Nakano said regular wind gusts of at least 40 mph in the Waikoloa area make the tips important, even for residents who may not live directly next to brushland.

The Firewise organization has been around nationally since 1987, and focuses on preventing fires where brushlands and houses meet.

Firewise had planned the workshop months before the recent fire, Laitinen said.