California should expedite rules that could have helped mitigate L.A. fires, lawmakers say

California lawmakers are calling on the state to expedite rules that some scientists and fire officials say might have helped mitigate the damage from Los Angeles’ devastating wildfires. The fires took place during such extreme weather that even if one homeowner took all the proper precautions, winds could have helped embers ignite a neighboring structure and then spread, said Ron Durbin, chief of the Los Angeles County Fire Department’s forestry division. At the same time, he said, having 5-foot ember-resistant zones around homes “still would have made a difference, had everybody done it right.” Climate & Environment Could better brush clearance have helped slow the spread of the Palisades fire? “Certainly there are people who will say it’s not the state’s responsibility to tell private property owners what they should do with their land, full stop,” Friedman said. “But if you’re living in a community that’s in a high fire zone, we have to realize that one property that’s patently unsafe can put a whole neighborhood at risk.” Bill Dodd, a retired Democratic state senator who represented fire-prone areas including Napa County and part of Sonoma County, said many homeowners resisted zone zero regulations even after fires damaged their communities in 2017.