SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — For the primary time in additional than a decade, Cal Hearth officers have launched an up to date fire hazard severity zone map for communities throughout the state.
The brand new map, which is meant as an example the potential for hearth exercise in sure areas over a multi-decade interval, expanded the state’s “very excessive hearth hazard” zones by tens of millions of acres to almost all of Southern California.
These zones, Cal Hearth explains, have situations with a major potential to result in hearth exercise over a 30 to 50-year interval with out bearing in mind mitigation measures — like dwelling hardening and gas discount efforts — or scars from earlier burns.
San Diego County was not immune to those adjustments: Many of the cities within the county noticed a rise within the quantity of land inside its boundaries now categorized on the highest hazard stage — “very excessive” — from the final evaluation again in 2011.
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Now, greater than 817,00 acres in San Diego County have been categorized by Cal Hearth as “very excessive” for hearth hazard, up from 646,838 acres beneath the 2011 map. Practically 3 million acres had been labeled a “reasonable” hazard, whereas 364,767 acres had been discovered to have a “excessive” hazard stage.
In line with the outdated maps, Poway has the best share of land in its boundaries thought-about to be a “very excessive” hazard out of all cities within the county, with nearly 80% of its roughly 25,024 acres given the designation by Cal Hearth beneath the replace.
Cities with the most important jumps in “very excessive” hazard zones included Carlsbad, Chula Vista and Del Mar, all of which almost doubled their acreage from the 2011 map.
Solely the cities of San Diego, El Cajon and Solana Seashore now have much less land thought-about at a “very excessive” hearth hazard in comparison with the final evaluation. The full land in unincorporated areas given this designation additionally decreased.
La Mesa and Lemon Grove, which beforehand had no land designated as a “very excessive” hazard, remained the identical beneath the brand new maps.
Not loading correctly? A PDF breakdown by metropolis in San Diego County can be viewed here.
That’s to not say fires are inevitable in every of the areas thought-about to have a better hazard, neither is the designation prescriptive of the potential impression ought to a hearth get away. Hearth officers stress these maps are a planning device, just like flood zone maps.
For example, the maps are used to information constructing or growth requirements, notify potential owners of the danger related to the property, set defensible area clearance necessities round buildings, and extra.
To search out neighborhood-level particulars on hearth hazard severity, San Diegans can search utilizing the interactive map from Cal Hearth under.
Map not displaying accurately? Click here.
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