Newly released maps from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection show an increase in high fire hazard areas across L.A. County, including in Eastside neighborhoods that have been marked as significantly fire-prone.
This series of maps was released in late March and is the last segment of a mapping project that tracks wildfire danger. The maps, which began being published in February, are updated about every 10 years.
Identified hazard zones are divided into three levels of severity: “moderate,” “high” and “very high.” The classification is based on environmental factors such as land topography, fire history, weather patterns and the presence of fire fuels such as thick vegetation.
The updated maps show that 314,665 acres of land in Los Angeles County now fall in the “very high hazard” fire zones, showing an increase of 30% from maps in 2011. This shows there are more fire-prone areas across the region where local governments, not state or federal agencies, are responsible for fire suppression and prevention.
The city of Los Angeles saw a nearly 7% increase in land marked as the highest in severity.
What Eastside neighborhoods saw increases in “very high” fire hazard zones?
An interactive map allows users to see how parts of California have become more susceptible to burn compared to 2011 data.
Locally, users can see that stretches of York Boulevard and Figueroa Street in Highland Park and Eagle Rock are now classified as “very high” hazard zones.
In Lincoln Heights and El Sereno, the most severe fire hazard areas crept south onto North Mission Road and Valley Boulevard.
Homes on a slope surrounded by vegetation may exist in a more hazardous designated area than those in a dense neighborhood such as Boyle Heights. To see if your home is in a fire-prone area, use Cal Fire’s tool here.
Why have hazardous areas across the state expanded since the last analysis?
According to reporting by Cal Matters, State Fire Marshal Daniel Berlant said climate change is a leading reason as to why the high hazard areas grew across the state. Warmer conditions mean dryer brush, which means more potential fuel for a blaze.
Berlant also said new technological advancements in data analysis are providing more accurate models and simulations of weather patterns that can give estimates on ember size in these high hazard zones.
Across the state, the acreage of land now designated as a high hazard is home to nearly 4 million residents per an analysis and calculation conducted by Cal Matters.
Frank Bigelow, deputy director at Cal Fire, told Boyle Heights Beat that the undertaking of publishing updated fire hazard maps has been in the works since 2018.
The updated maps, he said, give a “more granular look at micro climates in and around each community” and make sure weather conditions are more accurately represented.
I live in a “high” or “very high” fire hazard zone, what should I do?
“If you were previously in a very high fire hazard severity zone, nothing changes for you. If you weren’t in a fire hazard severity zone before, and now you are, you will be subject to some new requirements that you weren’t previously used to,” Bigelow said. “Requirements like maintaining a defensible space around your home.”
But, according to Bigelow, even if your property is in a high hazard zone, the risk your home will catch fire can be diminished if proper fire mitigation techniques are applied, such as building your home out of concrete and clearing brush from around your house.
What else can I do to mitigate fire risk?
Defensible space can mean trimming grass, bushes and trees on your property to slow fire spread, as well as clearing flammable material from 100 feet around your property, according to Cal Fire’s Guide to Defensible Space.
For those interested in selling their home that may be in the “high” or “very high” zones, a defensible space inspection must be completed before sale. Properties in “high” and “very high” hazard zones must abide by real estate disclosure rules and changes to building code according to a FAQ sheet on Cal Fire’s website.
What happens next?
Local governments must now review and finalize the updated maps and have 120 days to adopt new ordinances. Severity classifications can increase, but not decrease, Bigelow said. The tighter rules around building new homes in the hazardous areas countywide are expected to be enforced later this year after the local adoption process concludes.
