Severe fire hazard zones blanket parts of Southern California on new state maps published Monday – the first release of its kind in 14 years – as fire officials rush to keep up with the impacts of climate change on the southland.
Following the Los Angeles wildfires in January, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order expediting an overhaul of Cal Fire’s outdated wildfire hazard maps. The data was published in batches over the past two months, from North to South down the state, with Monday’s maps marking the long-awaited completion of the project.
The end-result is stark: millions of acres of “very high fire hazard” zones running up and down the Golden State…