In California, where Los Angeles is located, fire is a reality of life. The state’s fire season is from July to October. However, it can start as early as January when there’s a drought.
Fire claims many homes in Los Angeles, but why?
There are currently over 500 wildfires ravaging about 2,000 acres, according to the five-year average statistics of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).
“Wildfires are a fact in California,” Cal Fire Chief Joe Tyler told the New York Times. “It’s not a question of if, but it’s [a] matter of when that fire is going to strike.”
Fire Risk in Los Angeles
The Los Angeles Emergency Management Department says wildfires and residential or structural fires are part of the everyday lives of Angelenos. It’s usual to see thousands of acres get burned by powerful fires, leaving a wake of damages.
Residential or Structural Wildfires in Los Angeles
Residential fire is among the leading causes of accidental death in the home. They are commonly ignited by cooking, faulty heating, careless smoking and arson.
In 2022, the Fire Department of Los Angeles County recorded nearly 3,000 fire incidents that impacted structures, about 1,500 affecting vehicles, and roughly 1,000 for miscellaneous property. Rubbish caught fire with around 4,000 reported incidents, nearly 300 for outside storage, and almost 600 for fire incidents involving brush or grass.
These fires left behind approximately $95 million in damages to properties or structures, about $19 million worth of vehicle contents, and around $1 million in miscellaneous property. These damages resulted in a total of a whopping $116 million loss.
Los Angeles Wildfires
Wildfires, also known as brush fires, pose a great risk in Southern California. There are several factors that contribute to their frequent occurrence, including the region’s weather and wind patterns as well as its topography and vegetation. Droughts also increase the risk of wildfires in Southern California.
Increased development is another important but perhaps often ignored factor contributing to the occurrence of wildfires. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) specifically highlights the many new developments between Los Angeles and San Diego are significantly at risk for fires since many of the new developments in the region between Los Angeles and San Diego are located in areas of significant fire risk.
In an analysis conducted by First Street, a non-profit provider of climate risk data, 63% of Los Angeles is at risk of being impacted by wildfire in the next three decades. This is equivalent to more than 430,000 properties potentially getting damaged by wildfires.
Climate Change Effect on Los Angeles Fires
According to a study published in Nature, the risk of extreme daily wildfire growth in California increases by an average of 25% because of climate change. Higher or warmer temperatures brought about by climate change dry out vegetation, which in turn becomes fuel for wildfires.
The research analyzed the relationship between temperature and extreme fire growth in about 18,000 fires that burned in the state between 2003 and 2020 using artificial intelligence. The study defined extreme fire growth as more than 10,000 acres in a day.
The study further used AI to simulate potential future conditions, including how climate change will impact wildfires if emissions reached net zero in the 2070s. It found that this resulted in an average increase of 59% in the risk of extreme daily wildfire growth by the end of the century. On the other hand, this risk balloons to an average of 90% if emissions continue to rise until 2050.
“It’s just that it takes so long for emissions reductions to imprint on temperature,” study author Patrick T. Brown told the Los Angeles Times. “I’m trying to dispel the notion that we can see an increase in wildfire danger, then go and pass climate policy and see some effect of that climate policy right away.”
As a result, Brown recommends looking at more direct, on-the-ground solutions, such as fire and mechanical training, as well as scaling up burning and thinning projects. “If we were able to do that, we could more than offset the impact of climate change such that we get a net reduction in wildfire danger despite climate change,” he said.
In the meantime, Los Angeles is implementing laws like defensible spaces to help curb wildfires, preventing them from burning down homes.
Los Angeles’ Defensible Spaces
Fire can spread quickly through vegetation that can create embers which can fly or jump from one fuel source to another until inevitably it reaches your house. Because of this possibility, the Los Angeles Fire Code requires homeowners to create and maintain what is called a defensible space around their house.
Cal Fire defines a defensible space as a buffer zone between your house or other structures and nearby vegetation in the surrounding area. It serves as a barrier that prevents fires from spreading into your yard and consuming your home. A defensible space provides your home with the highest chance of survival in the event that a fire breaks out near your residence. Defensible spaces also improve the safety of firefighters during a fire.
The county implements an annual inspection of these spaces. The fire department starts in desert communities every April 1, moves on to inland communities on May 1, and begins inspection for coastal communities on June 1.
Some things to remember for your preparation for the annual inspection:
- There’s no need to remove any trees or ornamental shrubs. Trimming and pruning them are typically acceptable most of the time. Wait until after the inspection to remove any tree or vegetation if you are instructed to do so.
- Remove litter and deadwood from all trees and shrubs in your vicinity.
- Remove any flammable vegetation within 30 feet of any structure or 50 feet in extra hazard areas.
- Vegetation for the next 70 feet (or a maximum of 150 feet for extra hazard areas) around any structure should be cleared and trimmed. Remove any flammable vegetation and dead wood in this zone too.
- Grasses should be kept at three inches or less.
- Maintain at least 10 feet of brush clearance on each side for all access roads. Any overhanging trees should also be trimmed to provide unobstructed vertical clearance.
- Fire hydrants should have a minimum of 3 feet of brush clearance.
You can check this guide to maintaining ornamental vegetation for more info on how to prepare for your defensible space inspection.
Buying a Home in Los Angeles
In 2021, Los Angeles required sellers to provide a defensible space inspection for properties located in a “very high fire hazard severity zone.” You’re free to waive this inspection, but you’re still required to get one done for your house within a year.
If you have questions, especially about requirements, reach out to the Defensible Space Inspection Unit at (626) 969-2375 before your inspection. For questions after inspection, contact the number listed in your inspection report.
This report will be mailed to you. If you have any violations, you can correct them within 30 days. A defensible space inspection costs $151 in 2024 and will be included in your November property tax bill.
Is There a Concern for Fires in Los Angeles?
In conclusion, fire claims in Los Angeles are often caused by dry conditions, high winds, and human activities like campfires or discarded cigarettes.