Latest news with #DanielBerlant
CBS News
3 days ago
- Climate
- CBS News
New California fire maps show which areas in the Sacramento region are most at risk. See where your home stands
A recent CBS News study revealed that more homes in the Sacramento area are at risk of wildfire. The findings show that more than 90% of homes are in the Wildland Urban Interface, or areas where urban communities and houses meet forested or natural landscaped areas. "Well, it's very surprising," said Jenny Ferreira, who lives in Elk Grove. The findings come as a surprise to some residents like Ferreira. CBS News collected data that shows the number of homes in the WUIs has exploded in Elk Grove, specifically in the southern area near the Sky River Casino. According to the data, 85 homes were in the WUI in 1990 compared to close to 10,000 homes in 2020, and the area just keeps growing. Cal Fire recently released fire hazard severity maps, but on the maps, one part of Elk Grove is not highlighted as a severity zone. CBS News Sacramento got answers directly from the state fire marshal on why. "Hazard is really the likelihood of a fire and risk is really looking at the damage the wildfire is going to do," said California State Fire Marshal Chief Daniel Berlant. Berlant said the Cal Fire maps only look at hazards, which are based on long-term factors like topography, weather, fire history and vegetation type that cannot change, whereas fire risk can change. "What was the home built out of? Does that home have defensible space? Is there water supply? Is there a fuel break? Is there fire protection?" Berlant said. CBS News Sacramento asked him if it is safe to build communities in the WUIs. Chief Berlant responded, yes, as long as you follow Cal Fire's building codes, home harden and have five feet of defensible space. "The challenge is 90% of homes in wildfire-prone areas were built before this current code went into effect in 2008," Berlant said. "Our challenge is how can we help homeowners retrofit their home." Consumnes Fire defines most areas around Elk Grove as grassland. Cal Fire said if a fire were to ignite here, it would not burn as severely as in a mountain community that is surrounded by forest. Although that does not mean the homes are completely out of the woods. According to CBS News' data collected from the First Street Foundation, 35% of homes in the Sacramento region could be at "major risk" of wildfire in the next 30 years and 19% of homes at "severe risk." "I might look into converting my grass into rocks," said Vonn Lam, who lives in Elk Grove. Lam has lived in the area since 2005 and never felt threatened by fire, but it is on her radar now. "I do need to be mindful of all the vegetation near me," Lam said. "I am very worried about the insurance going up and a lot of insurance is not covering California because of the fires." Berlant said the issue is that there is no consistency with risk models, which are typically what insurance companies use to determine who to insure. "While we are mapping hazards, insurance companies are mapping risk," Berlant said. Cal Fire is researching how fire spreads from one home to another to better understand risk. "Regardless, if you live near an area that is near a field, a grassland, a forested area, you should be prepared," Berlant said. We cannot change the terrain, but we can change how we live in the terrain - working together to prevent another devastating wildfire.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Yahoo
100K pounds of illegal fireworks seized from business in L.A. County
Officials with Cal Fire's Office of the State Fire Marshal announced the seizure of more than 100,000 pounds of illegal fireworks from a business in Los Angeles County. Details are limited, but in a news release Cal Fire said investigators responded to reports that a current fireworks importer and exporter in Commerce was not following 'laws and regulations required by their license.' Preliminary reports suggest fire officials were conducting the operation around South Malt Avenue and Telegraph Road, a primarily industrial area, though the exact location, nor the name of the business has been confirmed. In photos of the seizure released by Cal Fire, both police and fire officials can be seen in what appears to be a warehouse-style location where dozens of wooden pallets are stacked with hundreds of boxes of the illegal fireworks. Officials said that more than $4 million worth of property damage and loss has been caused from fires started by fireworks since the beginning of 2025. Arrests made in alleged L.A. Armenian crime syndicate engaged in violent feud The release stressed the state's zero tolerance stance on the sale of illegal fireworks that include: Sky rockets Bottle rockets Roman candles Aerial shells Firecrackers or other fireworks that go into the air or move uncontrollably on the ground 'As we approach the 4th of July and a typical increase in usage of illegal fireworks, this seizure should be a reminder of our zero tolerance to illegal fireworks in California,' California State Fire Marshal Daniel Berlant said. Anyone with information about this investigation is encouraged to contact Cal Fire's Arson and Bomb Unit at arsonbomb@ Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
21-05-2025
- CBS News
More than 100,000 pounds of illegal fireworks seized in Los Angeles County
Authorities in Los Angeles County seized more than 100,000 pounds of illegal fireworks on Wednesday. According to CAL FIRE, the Office of the State Fire Marshal conducted the seizure in Commerce, where it responded to reports that a fireworks importer and exporter wasn't following the requirements of a licensee, despite being a licensed vendor. CAL FIRE did not immediately reveal what regulations were broken by the vendor. "As we approach the 4th of July and a typical increase in usage of illegal fireworks, this seizure should be a reminder of our zero tolerance to illegal fireworks in California," said California State Fire Marshal Daniel Berlant. More than $4 million in property loss has been caused by fireworks-related fires since January, CAL FIRE said. Illegal fireworks in California include sky rockets, bottle rockets, roman candles, aerial shells and firecrackers, among others. As of 4 p.m., no additional details were immediately made available.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Updated Cal Fire Hazard Maps Reveal High-Risk Zones in L.A. County
Cal Fire officials have released updated Fire Hazard Severity Zone (FHSZ) maps, marking the fourth and final round of hazard map updates since the previous release in 2011. The newly released interactive maps categorize fire hazard zones into three levels: Moderate, High, and Very High. These classifications draw from both science-based and field-based testing models, taking into account natural topography, past fire history, vegetation, and wind Fire explains these maps function similarly to flood zone maps, "where lands are described in terms of the probability level of a particular area being inundated by floodwaters, and not specifically prescriptive of impacts." The maps assess physical conditions to highlight wildfire probability rather than indicate potential fire impacts. They don't factor in mitigation measures such as home hardening or fuel reduction updated hazard zones are part of Cal Fire's "Phase 4" recommendations, focusing on fire severity across Southern California, including L.A. County. Significant portions of L.A., particularly in the foothills and canyon regions, have been designated as Very High Hazard Zones, marked in red on the updated maps. According to ABC News, "very high fire hazard" zones in Southern California have expanded by 26% since 2011, increasing from 646,838 acres to 817,212 acres. State Fire Marshall Daniel Berlant told CalMatters that climate change, improved data models, and state legislation updates likely contributed to this release of these updated maps comes just one week before the March 31 deadline for homeowners affected by January's wildfires to opt into a federal debris removal program. Homeowners need to sign up by this deadline to speed up recovery efforts.L.A. residents can check their neighborhood's fire hazard designation by reviewing Cal Fire's interactive map below or by clicking here. Never Miss a Beat! Subscribe to Los Angeles Magazine's The Daily Brief for daily updates delivered straight to your inbox. Join below or by clicking here.
