Nearly 3 million Californians live in places facing major wildfire threats, whether they're impoverished towns or wealthy suburbs, a McClatchy analysis shows.
“There’s a lot of Paradises out there,” said Max Moritz, a fire specialist at UC Santa Barbara.
Cal Fire is making new fire hazard maps – ready in a year or so – that will incorporate regional wind patterns and other climatological factors. In the meantime, experts say the current maps, created about a decade ago, still provide an important guide to predict where wildfires could do the most damage, in the same way floodplain maps highlight areas that could be hit hardest during severe storms.
“We grow trees like nobody’s business up here,” said Tom Twist, a member of the Shingletown Fire Safe Council, a volunteer organization. Twist, who’s lived in the community off and on since the 1970s, said that when the weather is warm he’ll walk his property, pulling up seedlings in an almost futile effort to eliminate potential fuels.
Locals say they’re glad the state is paying attention to a problem they know too well. The community had to evacuate when the The same anxiety also applies to the cedars, pines and brush covering the hills around this foothill city of about 3,100 people, many of whom live or work in wooden buildings dating back to the the Gold Rush era.
“At the time it was considered an anomalous event,” said Billy Spearing of the Fire Safe Council of Nevada County. “It was not the normal for them then.”in southwest Nevada County in terrain that hasn’t burned in a century, helping protect both Nevada City and the adjacent community of Grass Valley, home to more than 12,000.to raise $25,000 to hire farmers to use their goats to eat dense brush in more than 450 acres of city-owned greenbelt.
At night in the summer, Aimee Costa, who lives on a hill above the elementary school, sometimes keeps her window open, the better to hear ominous sounds. Situated on the pristine north shore of Lake Tahoe, Kings Beach is one of the most heavily visited vacation spots in Northern California.Because so much of the population comes and goes, it becomes harder to get people to treat wildfire risk with the respect it deserves, said Erin Holland, a spokeswoman for the“It is definitely a challenge because we have so many homes that are vacation homes,” she said. “It’s really a challenge to educate those visitors …. They want to have a camp fire.
Just off Highway 50, a few miles from the tourist haven of Apple Hill, Pollock Pines lures transplants from coastal California, mainly retirees drawn to the lovely stands of trees in the foothill community at the edge of the Eldorado National Forest.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Felicity Huffman pleads guilty in college admissions cheating scam; 'I am ashamed,' she saysThe Oscar-nominated actress is among a group of parents who were accused of bribery and test cheating to get their kids into elite colleges.
Read more »
Celine Dion's new chapter after husband's death: 'I'm not playing the boss, I am the boss'Celine Dion is embracing 'Courage' as she moves into a new album and world tour. She opens up about life after loss, and being the boss of her empire.
Read more »
Attorney general says he will review government 'spying' on Trump campaign; 'I am concerned'Attorney General William Barr told a Senate panel that he is reviewing whether federal authorities improperly spied on President Trump's campaign.
Read more »
Here's Everything We Know About The New 'Charlie's Angels' Movie, And I Am So Excited9 Things You Need To Know About The Upcoming 'Charlie's Angels' Movie
Read more »
'I am considering it': Manchin may run for governorSen. Joe Manchin, D-W. Va., comments on AG Barr's remarks about not defend the ACA and why he says it's misguided for the GOP to 'start over from nothing' on health care. Manchin discusses if he may run for governor.
Read more »
Omar: 'I am as American as everyone else is'Rep. Ilhan Omar shot back at a Fox News host late Wednesday after he questioned her allegiance to America, saying she is 'as American as everyone else is.'
Read more »
California’s next frontier in fighting climate change: your kitchen stoveBuildings are quietly becoming the latest battleground in California’s aggressive campaign against global warming. Are you willing to give up your gas stove to fight climate change?
Read more »
One of California’s last black enclaves threatened by Inglewood’s stadium dealInglewood's rising rents and home prices, triggered by the Rams-Chargers stadium and entertainment complex, are squeezing out some residents of color.
Read more »