LA fires delay California’s new fire hazard maps

By Camille von Kaenel | 01/23/2025 06:33 AM EST

The new maps will show more areas at high fire hazard than before, reflecting new science incorporating the risk of wind-fueled fires.

The Palisades Fire ravages a neighborhood amid high winds in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood.

Cal Fire's delayed recommendations use a new model that better reflects the science on wind-fueled wildfires. Ethan Swope/AP

SACRAMENTO, California — The Los Angeles fires are delaying California’s rollout of new fire hazard maps that broadly detail more danger than previous versions, the state’s fire marshal said Wednesday.

What happened: Cal Fire is already behind schedule in putting out new statewide recommendations for local agencies detailing which areas are at very high fire hazard, down to the parcel level. LA’s wildfires will delay the agency further, State Fire Marshal Daniel Berlant told POLITICO in an interview.

He said Cal Fire is now planning to release the new map recommendations for Northern California first, sometime in the next few weeks, and Southern California second, sometime in the months to follow, so as not to overwhelm local officials in LA, who are required by law to review and adopt the maps within three months.

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Why this matters: The fire hazard severity zones in Cal Fire’s maps determine where the state government enforces certain wildfire prevention regulations, like fire-resistant building codes and fire risk disclosure requirements for home sales. The maps, which are supposed to be updated every five years by state law, were last updated in 2007.

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