It appears the majority of residents in California believe we should stop building homes in high fire areas. Now we just need to convince decision makers. (Photo: Canyon Fire 2017) View the Los Angeles Times article.
As USGS Fire Scientist Jon Keeley has already figured out: where fires have happened before they will happen again. That’s what was witnessed in Ventura. We’ve got the fire maps for our hills that prove it also. State building and fire codes can’t keep up with the losses–there is lag time between the disaster and new codes. The science shows that where the houses are built is more important than how they are constructed. Build homes in a Very High … Read More
This news released at the Orange County Fire Authority Board meeting on the response to the Canyon 2 Fire is disturbing. Lives are at risk at the wildland-urban interface and our fire agency doesn’t follow protocol? The same thing occurred during the Freeway Complex Fire. Maybe the lesson should be learned about where to allow (or NOT allow) homes to be built in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones. This comes down to our decision makers and our agencies (fire … Read More
Guess what? Those very high fire hazard severity zones (you know, the places most likely to burn) are where the fastest residential development is occurring in Southern California. And, interestingly–according to this new study–people in those zones are most likely to start the fires there. Let’s hope the lessons of the Freeway Complex Fire, Canyon 2 Fire, and other statewide disasters bring home the realities of how dangerous it is to build in these areas. Read the KPPC article.