Bay Area fire hazard map: See how it has changed since 2007

gqlshare

Jan 3

California's fire marshal has issued an updated map assessing fire hazard severity across the state — the first since 2007.

The interactive map above has a slider bar allowing the comparison of the previous assessment of susceptibility to wildfire with the proposed changes. (Click the "I understand" box and then "OK" to see the full display.) The brighter tones to the left of the slider indicate the newer map; yellow is moderate hazard, orange high hazard, red very high.

The new assessment classifies as "high" or "very high" severity more than 85% of the land in the State Responsibility Area — generally, rural or unincorporated land outside of federal jurisdiction.

The classifications, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, are "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."

CalFire's document about the zones says they "are used for several purposes, including to designate areas where California's defensible space standards and wildland urban interface building codes are required."

It says insurance companies rely on different models, which, though they use some of the same data as the hazard zone model, incorporate additional, shorter-term factors.

Public meetings at which residents can comment on the proposed updates will be held across California in the next several weeks. In the Bay Area, the dates are: