Wildfire Archives | Page 10 of 14

San Diego Ignores Fire Dangers Too

by Melanie Schlotterbeck on May 16, 2019 with No Comments

We’ve seen this same issue in Orange County. “A new University of California study … [found] that housing and human infrastructure in fire-prone wilderness areas are the main drivers of fire ignitions and structure loss.” And interestingly our Fire Study found the same results of adding people into the wildlands. “Putting houses in the heart of fire country doesn’t just put people in harm’s way. It also increases the risk of fires starting. Studies have found that 97 percent of … Read More

Gov Says OK to Build in Fire Areas

by Melanie Schlotterbeck on April 17, 2019 with No Comments

Yes, we agree, people like living in and near nature. It provides recreational opportunities close to home, it increases property values, and it is beautiful. However, we would encourage the Newsom Administration to look at incorporating wildfire science and wildfire history into the land use equation. This information helps land use planners determine where to allow homes and where there is extreme fire danger (like multiple wildfires). Areas at most risk (regardless of the existence of homes) are places have … Read More

Location Matters More Than Construction

by Melanie Schlotterbeck on December 4, 2018 with No Comments

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

Lessons From the Camp Fire

by Melanie Schlotterbeck on November 21, 2018 with No Comments

It is hard to imagine a fire that moved a mile every SIX SECONDS, but that’s what happened in the Camp Fire. This article outlines the lessons learned from previous fires, communication failures from this fire, and how planning plays into it. The article features other projects in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones too like Esperanza Hills (above Yorba Linda). Evacuation concerns is one of the hot button items for Yorba Linda residents fighting the project there. (Photo of the … Read More

Recovery, Repair and Resolve

by Melanie Schlotterbeck on November 20, 2018 with No Comments

This poster focuses on the recovery efforts post Freeway Complex Fire. Download the “Recovery, Repair and Resolve” poster.