How California’s historic wet winter could lead to even bigger wildfires
More rain in California means more vegetation growth, which sets up the possibility of another active wildfire season in the state.
As of April, California has seen above 145% of the statewide average amount of rain normal rain, said Chris Bruno, Fire Captain at California’s Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
“As you go up and down the freeways, you’ll see that vegetation that is normally not this large is thick and tall,” Bruno told USA TODAY. “As we move forward with the change from the springtime and the wetter months to the drier months here in the next couple few weeks, then you're going to see that those fires are going to be a little more receptive than they had in the past.”
Bruno said it’s still too soon to understand the type of fires the state will see but that they will depend on the condition they start in how quickly fire officials can use their resources around those incidents.
Is wildfire season still a thing?
Fire season is an idea of the past as periods with intense wildfires tend to be more inconsistent, Bruno said. He referenced the several major wildfires that spread through Southern California, including the Rye, Creek and Liberty Fires.
“In 2017 we had a million-and-a-half acre wildland fire that destroyed a large portion of our Southern California area. And so that happened in the month of December. So not really a wildfire season,” Bruno said.
What part of California is most affected by wildfires?
Bruno said the areas most affected in California are seasonal and often depend on their level of vegetation and moisture content. He also said that how well California citizens prepare for wildfires impacts the presence of a blaze.
But insurance providers have started to make policy decisions that impact new homeowners in the entire state.
Allstate quietly stopped issuing property and casualty coverage to new California customers last year. The company made the announcement in November during its 2022 third quarter earnings report, Allstate spokesperson Brittany Nash said in a statement. The company will offer continuing coverage to existing customers.
"The cost to insure new home customers in California is far higher than the price they would pay for policies due to wildfires, higher costs for repairing homes, and higher reinsurance premiums," the statement said.
The news comes after State Farm announced a similar move last month, saying it will no longer provide home insurance to new California customers because of wildfire risks and an increase in construction costs.
In May, State Farm stopped accepting applications for business and personal lines and casualty insurance in California. In a news release, the company said it made this decision because of “historic increases in construction costs outpacing inflation, rapidly growing catastrophe exposure and a challenging reinsurance market.”
California wildfires Allstate no longer offering new policies in California due to wildfires, other costs
How to prevent wildfires in California?
These few simple steps that are probably familiar to most homeowners can make a big difference in what happens when a wildfire hits, experts say.
Create a defensible space: Remove leaves, branches and yard litter from around the home, creating a 100-foot barrier between your house and any potential fire fuel.
Harden your home with ignition-resistant roofing, decks, vents and windows.
Enclose your foundation to prevent wind-blown embers from getting underneath your home.
Seal gaps around openings in exterior walls and roofs with fire-resistant caulk, mortar or fire-protective expanding foam.
“Making sure they have those reduced fuel type plants and those types of resources around their homes is going to also give us a little bit of time before those fires, gain in size,” Bruno said. “Making sure that they're doing their part to get those woodpiles away from those decks and those lateral fuels away from their homes.”
Wildfire, smoke map
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: What Southern California’s extra wet 2023 means for wildfire season
