Insurers: 7.2 Million Calif. Homes In Fire Risk Areas
NU Online News Service, Oct. 24, 3:48 p.m. EDT?Insurers said the forest blazes in California that forced thousands to evacuate and burned one home today underscore calculations that 7.2 million homes in the state are in perilous fire zones.
According to the Insurance Information Network of California, those endangered homes pose a financial loss potential well in excess of $106 billion.
IINC said the fires currently burning in Southern California that destroyed a house in Fontana, Calif., illustrate the danger to homes, which are at greatest risk from October to early November when high winds that can drive fires are at their peak.
Research by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection finds that more than 7.2 million California homes are categorized in the three highest fire risk areas and that more than 6 million are located in urban areas, the IINC noted.
Karen Terrill, a spokesperson for the department said the homes at risk are in "high fire severity zones that could be affected by wildfire behavior."
She said the department knows from experience that these homes need not be in a remote forest area to be at risk when winds fan the flames.
According to department figures, 22 percent of the homes in Los Angeles County, or more than 734,000 are at risk. Elsewhere the department finds 45.2 percent, or 244,000, are at risk in Alameda County and 59.5 percent or 619,000 in San Diego County.
"Few communities are immune from the deadly combination of fierce October winds and the effects of summer's traditional lack of rain," said Candysse Miller, executive director of IINC.
The Los Angeles-based insurance trade group said it was urging homeowners to clear away underbrush near their homes and to make sure their insurance coverage kept pace with the rising cost of rebuilding homes and replacing possessions.
© Arc, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to TMSalesOperations@arc-network.com. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.