A CalMatters analysis reveals that millions of Californians live in the wildland urban interface (WUI), a zone where human development meets natural landscapes, making them highly susceptible to wildfires. Explore the factors contributing to the growing risk in California's WUI and the challenges of mitigating the devastating impacts of wildfires.
As of 2020, nearly 14 million Californians, or 1 in 3, lived in the sprawling 7-million-acre zone that makes up the wildland urban interface ( WUI ). This area, where human development and natural landscapes blur, is particularly vulnerable to wildfires, often resulting in devastating consequences. The WUI grows by about 2 million acres per year nationwide, according to the U.S. Fire Administration.
When wildfires approach these areas, the results can be hazardous as a fire can transition from consuming trees, shrubs, and plants to devouring homes and other structures often constructed in ways that are vulnerable to burning. A CalMatters analysis found that nearly 45% of homes built between 1990 and 2020 are located in places with lots of vegetation ready to fuel a fire. In just a single month of 2025, California experienced the second most destructive fire year in its history. Over 16,000 homes and other structures were damaged or destroyed by two major fires in the Los Angeles area - the Palisades and Eaton fires. The majority of these structures were located within the WUI, with communities like Altadena, where the San Gabriel Valley meets the San Gabriel Mountains, bearing the brunt of the damage.Cal Fire, the state's fire agency, has inspected all buildings within 100 meters of a fire perimeter and assessed the level of damage since 2018. The most destructive fires in California history have largely damaged or destroyed homes within the WUI.The Camp Fire, the deadliest and most destructive fire in California history, destroyed the town of Paradise in Butte County in 2018. This massive blaze burned both the natural and built environment, damaging or destroying nearly 20,000 structures and killing 85 people. While the WUI designation highlights areas vulnerable to wildfires, some experts argue that it's not the only or best metric for assessing fire risk. They point out that the boundary between wild and urban landscapes doesn't always translate to high fire risk, citing the 2017 Tubbs Fire in Sonoma County as an example. The Coffey Park neighborhood of Santa Rosa was nearly leveled despite being slightly outside the WUI
Wildland Urban Interface California Wildfires Climate Change Fire Risk WUI Property Damage
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