As California delays ‘zone zero’ wildfire protection rules, study finds clearing vegetation prevented home damage in LA fires

As California again delays controversial rules requiring homeowners in fire-prone areas to maintain a -foot ember-resistant zone around their houses a new analysis finds that properties that were already close to that standard were much less likely to be destroyed in the devastating Los Angeles wildfires in January With ashes still smoldering researchers with the Insurance Institute for Business Home Safety an industry-backed group surveyed homes that had been in the path of the blazes in Altadena and Pacific Palisades The group determined that of homes with more than half of their -foot zone covered in vegetation or other combustible material were wholly destroyed That share fell to for homes with flammable material covering less than a quarter of the zone Roy Wright chief executive of the institute noted the findings reveal that there are tactics that we can narrow the pathways of destruction during climate-driven megafires and we should have faith and trust in those strategies But as the state works to craft the new fire safety rules ordered earlier this year by Gov Gavin Newsom homeowners have voiced concerns about the costs of removing plants trees wood fencing and other flammable materials as well as the prospect of replacing landscaping with gravel or dirt Selected consumer advocates also contend the rules could be used by insurance companies who ve backed the regulation to end homeowners coverage In response to disagreements over how strictly to enforce the zone zero requirements the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection revealed it would wait until March to continue working on the regulations blowing past a Dec deadline to finalize the rules set by Newsom s order A law originally mandated a January deadline to complete the regulations According to Bloomberg News the latest delay means it could be mid- or later before any mandate takes effect for the roughly million homes in high-risk fire areas including parts of every Bay Area county except San Francisco California is committed to getting Zone Zero right not just getting it done through rules that reflect what LA fire survivors have advised us while balancing resilience to the next fire the realities of the insurance field and what homeowners can reasonably afford Anthony Martinez a spokesperson for Newsom announced in a announcement The Eaton and Palisades fires in Los Angeles County killed people and destroyed more than structures a multitude of of them homes making the blazes among the the greater part destructive wildfires in California history Related Articles California again delays wildfire protection rules for homes Suspect in huge Sierra wildfire is freed and sheriff speaks out Would this happen in Palisades circumstance Despite rate hikes inquiry finds California home insurance costs are middle of the pack nationwide Cal Fire drones take flight in exigency prevention and response California real estate industry is pressuring Zillow and other sites to nix extreme weather jeopardy input buyers have come to rely on At the start of next year Berkeley will enact similar -foot rules for around homes in the Berkeley Hills In a catastrophic firestorm killed people and destroyed more than homes in the Berkeley and Oakland hills While particular homeowners supported the ordinance others worried about costs and questioned whether the requirements were necessary It s a bit draconian to expect people to rip out existing vegetation that does not pose a fire hazard mentioned resident Gina Rieger at the city council meeting in April You could have somebody with a succulent garden that they ve tended for years and years and years There s a broad consensus among researchers however that maintaining defensible space around a home is an effective way to prevent embers from sparking a structure during a wildfire revealed Michael Gollner an associate professor of mechanical engineering at UC Berkeley who studies wildfire mitigation This is one of the cheapest and easiest things that you can do that has any immediate and measurable impact Gollner revealed While acknowledging the inherent limitations of the latest insurance institute account including that it assessed only burn areas where at least selected homes survived he described it as an excellent additional source of information to other up-to-date studies One analysis by Gollener of more than homes in five major California wildfires excluding the latest Los Angeles fires determined that clearing vegetation within feet coupled with home hardening measures such as installing non-flammable siding and fine-mesh over vents doubled a home s expected survival rate from to In addition to home hardening the insurance institute determined that the spacing between homes was another critical factor since a structure is more likely to catch fire if it s close to another burning structure Even for homes with fire-resistant features the chance of evading damage was less than when the nearest structure was within feet Each additional feet of separation increased the likelihood of no damage by - up to feet Gollener noted since it s not feasible to increase home spacing in existing neighborhoods it s crucial that all homeowners in fire-risk areas take moves to protect their properties from flames You re not just making a personal decision you re making it for your area he announced We ve learned that the whole area making a change is what really matters