UC wildfire expert: Lack of rain ‘primary factor’ in L.A. fires

Communities in fire-prone areas can be retrofitted to better withstand wildfire, says .Max Moritz, UC Cooperative Extension statewide wildfire specialist .

Siting, design of communities key to limiting catastrophic damage

Jan. 8 statement about wildfires in Southern California by Max Moritz, University of California Cooperative Extension statewide wildfire specialist based in Santa Barbara

“Santa Ana winds can be expected at this time of year, but this episode seems unusually strong. Some people are focusing on climate change and higher temperatures drying out the vegetation, but that's not really the primary factor here. It's the lack of rainfall that's unusual, and that's likely also related to climate change. More erratic and extreme precipitation patterns – drier dry periods and wetter wet periods – are extending the fire season. We still haven't started our typical fall and winter rains, and it's January! By this point of winter, usually it has rained so fuels contain more moisture and are not as flammable.”

How to prevent catastrophic wildfires?  

“We can reduce the various sources of ignition, especially during red flag conditions, but we really need to treat wildfire as a public health concern and address it through urban planning.  

We can retrofit existing communities to better withstand such events. Providing better water supply and distribution systems, hardening homes, establishing evacuation plans for communities, and training community members how to live with fire and reduce risks. 

We should prepare for the inevitable by building and rebuilding differently, such as in the siting and design of communities in fire-prone environments. Placement of communities on the landscape, such as near bodies of water and agricultural buffers, and how they are laid out can minimize their exposure to wildfire. This goes well beyond structure-level building codes.”  

The diffuse spacing of homes shown requires larger “zones of defense” and more clearing of native vegetation. The development pattern also requires more firefighting resources and makes fire suppression more complex. Source: Fire Mitigation in the Wildland Urban Interface

Clustering homes is safer because the agricultural land (shown as striped rows) provides a protective buffer. This pattern of development also is easier to defend from fire and requires fewer fire suppression resources. Source: Fire Mitigation in the Wildland Urban Interface

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