Wildfires of Southern California
23 November 2008
by
emergenc
Filed under
Fire
As firefighters struggle heroically to contain the last of several wildfires in Southern California, we will take a brief look at some of the measures taken that saved lives and reduced property damage. Tragically, thousands of people are left homeless as fires ripped through their neighborhoods and destroyed their belongings. Due to evacuation orders put into place as fires neared, miraculously there have been no fatalities reported. The order has since been lifted, and many people have returned to find their home a pile of rubble.
Enforcement codes have been adopted by many communities in the past two decades that prevent dense trees or shrubbery next to homes, reducing property damage from wildfire. New California building codes put into place in January, bans wood siding and shingling in fire-prone areas. Several existing communities have begun retrofitting their structures to be more fire resistant. The causes of the wildfires are still under investigation, although it is suspected that they will be labeled as human carelessness.