New and Existing
Development

Community Burnover

CAL Fire has kept statistics on wildfires: acreage burned, structures destroyed and lives lost since the 1930s. After the 2025 firestorms, the agency released an update to this dataset which highlight the increased risks of Community Burnover. The 2018 Camp Fire, which still is the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in CA, burned forested lands, and its firestorm burned over the Paradise, CA community.

The 2025 Los Angeles firestorms now rank 2nd and 3rd in the Most Destructive category. And, are within the top tier of the 13 deadliest fires – 65% of the deadliest were after the year 2000. Over 25 percent of California residences are located in or near High and Very High Hazard Severity Zones.

A collection of burnt out automobiles resulting from a wildfire.

As more housing and commercial uses are permitted in lands abuting wildlands, the issue of “Community Burnover” intensifies. The laminates, glues and plastics in modern structures, as well as their associated fuel sources, accelerate fires, and ember cast significantly contribute to structure-to-structure fires.

Fuel tanks, in vehicles or as energy sources increase the problem, partly through BLEVE, which is a “boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion”. This happens when the release valve on fuel tanks reaches a breaking point and the tank explodes, often creating flying shrapnel.

Built to Burn - California's Wildlands Developments are Playing with Fire

Built to Burn by Yap, T. et al. Center for Biological Diversity. (February 2021)

NEW and EXISTING DEVELOPMENT

Technical Articles and Reports

It is past time to consider the safety of existing communities when adding new development

Adapting to a future with more fire. Planning Conservation League California Environmental Assembly. Powerpoint. Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority. Anne Creelock. (2024).

Being safer from wildfires can help with your insurance. California Insurance Commissioner pamphlet.

Built to Burn. California’s Wildlands Developments Are Playing With Fire - Bold Land-use Reforms Needed Now to Ensure Safer, Sustainable Future. Yap, T. et al. Center for Biological Diversity. (February 2021).

CalFire Top 20 Deadliest CA Wildfires. (2025).

CalFire Top 20 Destructive CA Wildfires. (2025).

CalFire Top 20 Largest CA Wildfires. (2025).

Civil Grand Jury Report Sonoma County Emergency Evacuation Plans: Are We Ready for the Next Major Evacuation? (June 2025).

Civil Grand Jury Report Sonoma County Property Development in High Fire Hazard Zones: Is Fire Safety a Priority in Rural Sonoma County? (April-2024).

Civil Grand Jury Report Sonoma County - SAFRR clarification letter. (October-2023).

Factors associated with structure loss in the 2013-2018 California wildfires. Syphard, A.J., Keeley, J.E. Fire 2-49. (2019).

Final Recommendations to Reduce Wildfire Risk to Existing and Future Development. Mowery, M. et al. Los Angeles County. (2020).

Housing arrangement and location determine the likelihood of housing loss due to wildfire. Syphard, A.J. et al. PLoS ONE 7(3). (2012).

Housing arrangement and vegetation factors associated with single-family home survival in the 2018 Camp Fire. Knapp, E. et al. Fire-Ecology. (2021).

Life beyond 1.5 degrees - Lessons from Lahaina: Have we learned anything? Planning Conservation League California Environmental Assembly. Powerpoint. T. Watt. (2024).

Modeling residential development in California from 2000 to 2050: Integrating wildfire risk. Mann, M.L. et al. Land Use Policy 41. (2014).

Paradise nature-based fire resilience project final report. Conservation Biology Institute. (2020).

Paradise nature-based fire resilience project Appendix A literature review. Conservation Biology Institute.(2020).

Rapid growth of the US wildland-urban interface raises wildfire risk. Radeloff, V.C. et al. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 115-13. (2018).

RHNA - Summary of State Regional Housing Needs Allotment. Kalish, Amy (2025). (Coming Soon)

Small is Beautiful documentary focuses on the Sonoma Developmental Center. Scott, Carolyn. (2024).

The importance of building construction materials relative to other factors during wildfire. Syphard, A.D. et al. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction 21. (2017).

The role of defensible space for residential structure protection during wildfires. Syphard, A.D. et al. International Journal of Wildfire. (January 2014).

‘The Weakest Link’: Why your house may while your neighbor’s survive the next wildfire. Kasler, D., Reese, P. Sacramento-Bee. (June 2021).

Why are so many structures burning in California. Syphard, A.D., Keeley, J.E. Fremontia Vol. 47 N0. 2. (2020).

Legal Challenges

The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) is one of many laws that address wildfire risks, public and firefighter safety, and evacuation. Citizen groups and other advocacy organizations have challenged the legal requirements of local jurisdictions to comply with CEQA, the State Minimum Fire Safe Regulations, General Plans, zoning code, local Hazard Mitigation Plans, local fire ordinances, among others.

CEQA 101 Powerpoint by Talia Nimmer explains the California Environmental Quality Act that specifically requires disclosure and analysis of potential impacts of new projects to wildfire risks and evacuations plans.

CEQA’s Appendix-G Checklist XX. Wildfire (2019) requires the lead agency (frequently cities or counties) to identify if their proposed project could potentially impair an emergency response plan or emergency evacuation plan, exacerbate wildfire risks, require installation or maintenance of associated infrastructure (e.g. roads, water supply etc.), and expose people or structures to significant risks (e.g. landslides, flooding, post-fire instability etc.).

CEQA Exemptions are discussed in a paper by Association of Environmental Professionals (Updated 2020).

Attorney General Rob Bonta thoroughly addresses Best Practices for Analyzing and Mitigating Wildfire Impacts of Development Projects Under the California Environmental Quality Act.