Historic California town incinerated by swift-moving wildfire WNT

[Uncle Joe]

[brush]

1. It's every year now. I don't know how people stay in those towns...

surrounded by forests.

[Warpy]

2. No frigging choice

It's not like they can just walk away and find a less combustible place to live, most are tied to those houses because everything they own has been sunk into them and there's still a mortgage to pay.

Things like forest management and the type of construction allowed in forested areas will need some rethinking. Many still have fire insurance this year. Insurance companies are likely to back out of that very quickly in the next few years.

The weather this year has been exceptionally bad. Maybe they'll get a break, I hope so.

[pfitz59]

3. Fire-prone areas elsewhere in the world use 'fire-proof' construction.

Brick, terra-cotta, adobe and concrete with metal or tile roofs. Most have steel shutters and cleared space around the structures. The local forests are trimmed and thinned. Landscapes are planted with fire-resistant species. Many of these small town in the US are extremely "red" politically and resist all attempts at rational or scientific community planning. I know, because I grew up in the Sierra foothills.