New Cal Fire maps show 1 in 8 Californian face extreme fire danger, Post analysis shows
One in 8 Californians now live in places at risk for the kinds of devastating wildfires that tore through Los Angeles this winter, according to a Washington Post analysis of state fire maps released Monday. The maps, drawn by Cal Fire, the state’s forestry and fire protection agency, reveal the threat from wildfire is greater than previous state estimates showed. They reflect the effects of soaring temperatures on California, where hotter, drier weather has primed a landscape filled with vast acres of forest and shrubland for explosive fires — even in winter, during what should be the state’s rainy season. When factoring in areas where state and local firefighters are responsible for fighting blazes, the maps show there are now about 5.1 million people living in the two highest fire severity zones in the state, The Post found.
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