Editorial: The state lags on fire safety rules, but even common sense should limit combustibles near homes
LA TimesIn the unprecedented wind-driven fires of January, a fusillade of embers flew from burning hillside brush to neighborhoods, igniting houses and any fencing and furniture around them that would burn. The state’s Board of Forestry and Fire Protection was charged with writing the rules and regulations for Zone Zero by January 2023. But there’s a lot for board members to consider: “New Zone Zero rules will have financial implications for people so the focus right now is on what mitigations matter the most,” she said last week. If ever there were a time to put Zone Zero regulations into effect, it’s now, when thousands of owners whose homes were burned rush to rebuild or sell to others who will rebuild. If state rules are not in effect when homeowners rebuild, they should still seriously consider rebuilding with a defensible space of at least five feet around their homes.
History of this topic
Want to fireproof your house? Here’s where to start
LA Times
Cal Fire begins releasing new state-mandated maps showing highest fire hazard areas
LA Times
California should expedite rules that could have helped mitigate L.A. fires, lawmakers say
LA Times
California is years behind in implementing a law to make homes more fire resistant
Associated Press
Want to fireproof your house? Here’s where to start
LA TimesDiscover Related