SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Reeling from devastating wildfires, including the deadliest in California history, the state Legislature in 2020 recommended that dead plants and wooden furniture be placed within 5 feet (1.5 meters) of homes in hazardous areas. passed new requirements to remove combustible materials such as
The rule was scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2023. But as Los Angeles grapples with fires that destroyed thousands of homes in what could be the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history, those rules have yet to be written. The State Forestry and Fire Protection Board has no clear timeline for completing them.
“It's frustrating at every level of government,” said Democratic state Sen. Henry Stern, part of the group of lawmakers who authored the bill. “Frankly, I feel like a failure.”
Most of the areas affected by the Palisades fire are in areas that must comply with state requirements to keep combustible materials out of the vicinity of homes and are considered to be at the highest fire risk by the California Department of State, so new Subject to regulations. Forestry and fire protection. The fire, propelled by hurricane-force winds that spread embers through the air, destroyed at least 5,000 structures in an area including the Pacific Palisades, Malibu and Topanga Canyon.
Under the latest proposals, existing homes will have three years to come into compliance, so it's unclear how many homes will be saved. But several experts said clearing the immediate area of the homes likely would have made some difference.
Steve Hawks, a former state firefighter who now works for an insurance industry research group that supports the law, strongly believes that in some cases “it would have been effective,” based on previous research. He said he felt it. “Of course, there are no guarantees, especially in the event of an intense wildfire like this.”
The so-called Defended Spaces Act requires homeowners in fire-prone areas to keep landscaping and other potentially ignitable materials around their homes. California already has some of the strictest defensible space laws in the Western nation. The state began requiring homeowners in high-risk areas in the 1960s to remove flammable materials within 30 feet (9 meters) of their homes, and in 2006 expanded that rule to 100 feet (30.5 meters) from structures. ) has been expanded to include areas within
The latest measure creates a new “fireproof” zone called “Zone Zero” that prohibits brush, wood fences, furniture, sheds and mulch within 5 feet (1.5 meters) of homes. The idea is to remove any material that could ignite from wind-blown embers and spread into the building. State officials and researchers say 90% of structures destroyed in wildfires are caused by embers.
The Zone Zero law was passed with bipartisan support after California experienced record fires in 2017 and 2018. That includes the fire that wiped out the town of Paradise, destroying more than 17,000 buildings and killing 85 people.
Jana Valakovic, a fire scientist at the University of California Cooperative Extension in Humboldt and Dell, advises homeowners about defensible space requirements and various recommendations for home hardening, such as using vent covers to prevent flying flames. If you follow the guidelines, your home will have a much better chance of surviving a wildfire, he said. northern county. She's been helping Cal Fire assess damage from the Los Angeles fires this week.
“I'm hesitant to put exact numbers on how much the survival rate will improve,” she says. “But, you know, we have to do everything we can to push the equation forward.”
The Forestry and Fire Protection Commission said it is still in the “pre-rule phase” in an effort to find funding to mitigate potential costs under the new requirements. State officials said at a November meeting that the draft language likely won't be considered by the board until later this year, but CalFire is already encouraging homeowners to adopt the practice. its website. The agency recommended adopting the zone zero requirement as part of a report on fire strategy requested by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2019.
Lawmakers also passed a bill last year that would extend the compliance deadline for existing homes from one year to three years once the regulations are adopted. Some cities and homeowners have already adopted this practice voluntarily.
“There are many aspects to consider as part of this complex process,” board executive director Edith Hannigan said in a statement to The Associated Press. “This topic remains a priority for the Forestry and Fire Protection Commission, and staff aim to develop and submit a draft proposal to the commission as soon as possible.”
On Friday, state officials told The Associated Press that Newsom would provide $25 million in a budget proposal released last week to help homeowners create Zone Zero areas and comply with other defensible space requirements. He said that he plans to allocate the amount. The money would come from a $10 billion bond approved by voters in 2024 to pay for tackling climate change.
The most effective strategies include removing dead vegetation and debris from building roofs and gutters and replacing bark with pea gravel, said author Kimiko Barrett. 2024 survey Examining the cost of renovating existing structures in California. Replacing a wooden fence can be expensive, but it can also help protect your home better.
“The cost of doing nothing could be much higher,” Barrett said.
Discussions about Zone Zero have been going on for the past decade, but the idea hasn't always been popular. State Sen. Stern, who also lost his home in another fire in Los Angeles in 2018, said he has struggled to convince his family to follow the practice. Stern said his parents dismissed his advice as trivial, such as clearing out the rosemary bushes next to their house.
“What I don't know is whether people will see it as a headache,” he says.
Democratic state Rep. Laura Friedman, who led the effort to pass the Zone Zero law as a state lawmaker in 2020, said implementation “should not have taken years.” She then deferred questions to the state.
“I hope the state will act on this issue and these guidelines with the urgency they deserve,” she said.
Under the latest draft, the rules would apply immediately to new homes and existing buildings would be given three years to comply.
