Cal Fire releases new fire hazard maps for Sacramento, highlighting high-risk areas

CBS News

11-03-2025

SACRAMENTO — The California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention, known as Cal Fire, released its new fire hazard maps on Monday, including for Sacramento, detailing which areas have the highest severity for fires.
The maps, created by the State Fire Marshal, show that the very-high fire severity zone in Sacramento quadrupled in size from where it was over a decade ago.
"Back in 2007, we only mapped when there was very high," said Jim McDougald, assistant deputy director with Cal Fire's Community Wildfire Mitigation Program. "Now, we are required to map when there is moderate and high, which makes it look like there is a whole lot more acres."
McDougald said they also now have more precise local weather models based on wind speed.
"It's risky. Fire is really risky everywhere," said DK Patel, who lives in Rancho Cordova, one of the areas in the moderate hazard zone.
About 60,000 acres are in the moderate severity zone in Cal Fire's updated maps. That zone includes communities in Rancho Cordova, Mather Airport and around Folsom.
"I am not surprised because we live all around grass fields over in our area," said Stacie Fitzpatrick, who lives in Rancho Cordova.
In mostly south and southeast Sacramento, there are over 2,000 acres in the high fire hazard severity zone and 1,267 acres mostly near the Amador and San Joaquin county lines in the very-high fire hazard severity zone.
The maps were created for local jurisdictions like the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District, known as Metro Fire, to manage the changing terrain.
"One of the challenges we have had historically over the last five, ten years is late rains," said Metro Fire Battalion Chief Parker Wilbourn.
Wilbourn said that is why weed abatement is crucial because the late rains produce double growth, creating dense vegetation.
"And allows that fire to spread very rapidly through those fuel beds and potentially threatening neighborhoods," Wilbourn said.
Communities in the high and very-high fire hazard severity zones will fall under new state regulations that require defensible space around homes and specific building codes for new buildings for things like roofs, vents and siding.
The maps are a crucial tool for communities, but if California has learned anything in the past decade, it is that no community is immune to fire risk.
"I am very afraid if one were to happen in this area," said Patel. "Everybody has to be very careful."
Cal Fire is not requiring mitigation in areas listed as moderate, but Sac Metro Fire is doing weed abatement work in these areas anyway. It will be releasing those plans for the year later this month.