wildfire prone homes News

California Firefighter Says State Should Consider Home Ban in Fire-Prone Areas

California’s increasingly deadly and destructive wildfires have become so unpredictable that government officials should consider banning home construction in vulnerable areas, the state’s top firefighter says. Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Director Ken Pimlott will leave his job Friday …

Half of Colorado Population Faces Wildfire Risk

The number of Coloradans whose homes are at risk from wildfires soared 45 percent in five years, reflecting the state’s booming population and changing uses of agricultural land, state officials said Monday. The Colorado State Forest Service said 2.9 million …

Report: Fire-Resistant Homes Don’t Have to Cost a Fortune

Homes in wildfire-prone areas around the U.S. could be built to better withstand blazes without increasing the cost of construction, according to a new report. The research released Tuesday was sponsored in part by the insurance industry and marks the …

Report: Homes in Fire-Prone Areas Hike Missoula Firefighting Costs

Rapid population growth and the desire to live near forests means new housing in western Montana is being built in wildfire-prone areas, increasing taxpayer-funded fire suppression liabilities and putting lives and property in danger, according to a new study. Half …

Fire Safety Effort in Rapid City Gets Initial OK

Rapid City, S.D., firefighters have gotten initial city approval for an effort to encourage residents in areas prone to wildfires to take steps to make their properties safer. The Rapid City Journal reports that the city’s Legal and Finance Committee …

Nearly 5M Homes Endangered by Wildfires

More than 4.5 million U.S. households are at high or extreme risk from wildfire, according to new analysis by Verisk Insurance Solutions – Underwriting, a unit of Verisk Analytic. The analysis identified the number and percentage of properties at risk …

Rising Number of U.S. Homes at Risk From Wildfires

The number of homes at risk from wildfires in western U.S. states jumped 62 percent in the past year as more properties were developed in fire-prone areas, according to a report released on Thursday. About 1.2 million homes valued at …

Risk Ratings Weighed for Homes in Fire-Prone Areas

A state task force is mulling a plan that would assign more than 550,000 Colorado homes in wildfire-prone areas a risk rating that would be provided to insurance companies. The task force also discussed plans Wednesday for a fee on …