Getting home fire insurance for residents in high wildfire hazard areas: A Commentary from a WUI resident

The following is a commentary contributed by a homeowner living in a high fire hazard severity zone in Los Angeles County, California. If you’d like to contribute a commentary on a wildland fire or a wildfire safety topic, please email us. Got turned down for home insurance? So did I. Last spring I received a call from my insurance agent informing me that my home was now considered part...

How to get fire insurance if you live in the wildland-urban interface

Chances are you already know how hard it is to get fire insurance if you live in the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI), or in an area of California classified as a Cal Fire high Fire Hazard Severity Zone (FHSZ). But even though getting home or renter’s fire insurance can be a challenge for WUI residents, it is far from impossible, it just takes work and preparation. Every year, hundreds of...

Do You Live in a High Fire Hazard Area?

Those who live in the American west make their homes in a fire-prone environment. Wildland fires have burned in the west for thousands of years. Some plant and vegetation types, like Ponderosa Pine, have evolved to depend on regular fire to ensure their species’ persistence. Wildfires (unplanned and unwanted wildland fire ignitions) occur hundreds of times every year in California. Cal Fire,...