AdvertisementMore than 90 percent of fires in California are started by humans, often along roads and buildings lined with flammable invasive grasses. Cal Fire has acknowledged that housing construction continues in and around the state’s wildlands, where about 11 million people now live in 4.5 million homes. Hawks also downplayed the idea that building new homes in and around fire-prone areas would create more ignition sources, leading to more backcountry blazes. When faced with public resistance, county lawmakers overseeing wildland areas often call on regional firefighting authorities to testify to the safety of specific projects. Wildland fires that threaten people and homes in California are not the result of large forest fires.

Source: Los Angeles Times October 06, 2019 18:00 UTC