California’s former insurance commissioner sees grim future, more wildfires

City requiring 100-foot defensible space around homes in fire-prone areas

By Matthew Rodriguez Click here for updates on this story     RIVERSIDE, California (KCAL/KCBS) — The Riverside City Council passed an ordinance requiring 100 feet of defensible space around buildings in high-hazard fire zones. The ordinance also requires more fire-resistant landscaping and coordination across property lines. City leaders passed the new rule following the state’s new fire hazard severity zone maps, which placed portions of the H…

California lawmakers work to reduce wildfire risk

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) - Months after wildfires devastated southern California, lawmakers from the Golden State are trying to pass legislation to reduce the risk of it happening again. "Devastating damage was done, lives were lost," Rep. Jim Costa (D-Calif.) said.  California Congressman Jim Costa is cosponsoring a bill that would speed up the process of removing hazardous trees near power lines on federal lands. "These major 250k powerlines unfor…

Could utility gear set your neighborhood on fire? California risk maps are 8 years old

Weeks after deadly fires swept through Los Angeles County, the state regulator in charge of overseeing utility companies declined a request that would have required California’s largest utilities to update maps showing high fire threat areas.

California's former insurance commissioner sees grim future, more wildfires

Former California insurance commissioner David Jones described the L.A. area firestorms in January as a “canary in the coal mine” warning for climate change that will bring more catastrophic fires all-year and push the property and casualty ...

Public Health Risks of Urban Wildfire Smoke Prompt Push for More Monitoring

When the catastrophic Los Angeles fires broke out, John Volckens suspected firefighters and residents were breathing toxic air from the burning homes, buildings, and cars, but it was unclear how much risk the public faced. So, the professor of environmental health at Colorado State University devised a plan to get answers. Volckens shipped 10 air pollution detectors to Los Angeles to measure the amounts of heavy metals, benzene, and other chemic…

Insurers must embrace geospatial AI

PARIS – Over the past year and a half, insurers have been pulling out of high-risk areas at an alarming rate. Nowhere has this been more obvious than in California, where wildfires have become more fr...