New Fire Hazard Severity Zone Maps For L.A. Released Two Months After Wildfires

deadline.com:

Two months after the most destructive wildfires in Los Angeles history, Cal Fire has released updated Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps for the county.

The surveys use various criteria to identify wildfire hazard areas and rank them on a three-tiered scale. The maps, generally updated every decade, can impact building and clearance requirements in areas deemed to be in particular hazard areas.

According to Cal Fire, the determination of “hazard” is based “on the physical conditions that create a likelihood and expected fire behavior over a 30- to 50-year period, without considering mitigation measures such as home hardening, recent wildfire or fuel reduction efforts.” Identified hazard zones are divided into three levels — moderate, high and very high.

The determination is made based on a variety of factors, including terrain, fire history, weather patterns and the presence of fire fuels such as thick vegetation.