LA fires: Mother Nature is mostly to blame, but humans could have prepared better

WILLHOST —

Even as flames in Southern California continued to carve a destructive path on Friday and fire officials sought to assess the damage and determine how the fires began, a larger question loomed: Could this level of devastation somehow have been minimized, or is this simply the new normal in an era of climate-related calamities?

A WILLHOST review of government reports and interviews with more than a dozen experts suggests the ultimate answer is a mix of both.

Los Angeles city and county officials have characterized the fires as a “perfect storm” event in which hurricane-force gusts of up to 100 miles per hour prevented them from deploying crucial aircraft that could have dropped water and fire retardant on the drought-ravaged neighborhoods early on. The consensus of experts interviewed by WILLHOST was that the combination of those winds, unseasonably dry conditions and multiple fires breaking out one after another in the same geographic region made widespread destruction inevitable.

Nonetheless, humans could have taken some steps to potentially lessen the impact of Mother Nature’s wrath. Inconsistent vegetation management, aging infrastructure and homes, and a lack of planning likely contributed to fires that have so far scorched more than 55 square miles, destroyed thousands of structures and left at least 10 people dead.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass promised a full investigation. “Rest assured…we will absolutely do an evaluation to look at what worked, and what didn’t work, and to correct – or to hold accountable – anybody, department, individual, etcetera,” she said.

‘Got dry hydrants’

Part of that investigation is certain to focus on a key ingredient in fighting fires: water.

As high winds stoked flames Wednesday morning, firefighters could be heard on radio broadcasts relaying an alarming development.

“We’ve lost most of the hydrant pressure,” one firefighter said around 2:45 a.m. as he requested help refilling fire engines, according to a county dispatch recording.

“Got dry hydrants,” said another.

A beach house is engulfed in flames as the Palisades Fire burns along Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California on Wednesday. Agustin Paullier/AFP/Getty Images

Experts told WILLHOST even fully functioning hydrants would not have been enough to battle fires of the magnitude of those that raged this week, particularly when air resources, such as helicopters and fixed-winged aircrafts were grounded due to the wind.

“I don’t know a water system in the world that is that prepared for this type of event,” said Greg Pierce, a water-resource expert at UCLA.

Still, fully operational hydrants could have helped minimize some of the damage, saving a house here, or snuffing out embers there.

In the Pacific Palisades – which is at the far end of the municipal water system and experiences reduced water flow due to decreasing pipe sizes extending from the main line – the dry hydrants were due to unprecedented demand placed on a system that was not designed for fighting wildfires, said Janisse Quiñones, chief executive officer and chief engineer of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.

Quiñones said firefighters battling the blaze in the Palisades created four times the normal demand in the area for 15 straight hours. Three separate storage tanks of roughly one million gallons of water each support fire hydrants in the area. These tanks sporadically ran dry Tuesday night and Wednesday morning leading the pressure in fire hydrants to drop. Quiñones said 20% of hydrants used to fight the Palisades fire ran dry on Wednesday.

“We’re fighting a wildfire with urban water systems and that is really challenging,” she said. “This is an unprecedented event.”

The sun sets Monday, January 27, near homes that were destroyed by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. Mario Tama/Getty Images Jim and Malihe Halff tour the remains of their fire-ravaged home in Pacific Palisades. Drew A. Kelley/MediaNews Group/Long Beach Press-Telegram/Getty Images Nick Sonnenburg, center, and his parents search through the remains of his apartment in Altadena on Saturday, January 25. Mario Tama/Getty Images A member of the National Guard looks at a destroyed structure in Pacific Palisades on Friday, January 24. Damian Dovarganes/AP President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump tour a fire-affected area of Pacific Palisades on January 24. Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images Marine One flies above devastation caused by the wildfires. Mandel Ngan/Pool/AP Inmates from the Fenner Canyon Conservation Camp Fire Crew help load sandbags in Pasadena. There is an increased threat of landslides in Los Angeles County, where the recent wildfires have charred much of the land and left it with a lower capability of handling rain. Mario Anzuoni/Reuters Inmate firefighters trek up a mountain to create a fire containment line as they try to help control the Hughes Fire in Castaic on Thursday, January 23. Apu Gomes/AFP/Getty Images A woman goes through the remains of her apartment, which was destroyed by the Palisades Fire. Jill Connelly/Bloomberg/Getty Images Firefighters battle the Hughes Fire on Wednesday, January 22. Jon Putman/Anadolu/Getty Images A law enforcement officer takes photos as flames from the Hughes Fire race up a hill in Castaic. Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images Firefighters spray water as they battle the Hughes Fire in Castaic. Ethan Swope/AP Plumes of smoke rise from the Hughes Fire. Ethan Swope/AP A US Forest Service firefighter surveys the Hughes Fire. Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg/Getty Images A firefighter sets out hoses to fight the Hughes Fire. Ethan Swope/AP Drew Sandoval searches for items in the rubble of his friend Michele Docherty-Bond’s home in Pasadena on January 18. It burned in the Eaton Fire. Mario Tama/Getty Images Community members work together at the Victory Bible Church in Pasadena. The church continues to operate as a sanctuary for people affected by the Eaton Fire. Brandon Bell/Getty Images Members of the Navajo Scouts firefighter crew kick up dust as they clear debris from a landslide in Altadena on January 17. John Locher/AP Private firefighters from Oregon gather in front of Altadena Community Church. Mario Tama/Getty Images A member of a search-and-rescue team inspects a burned house in Pacific Palisades on January 16. Apu Gomes/Getty Images Damaged structures are seen in Malibu after the Palisades Fire burned along the Pacific Coast Highway. Ringo Chiu/AP Jaclyn Senis and Laura Shockley, both displaced because of the Palisades Fire, embrace after dropping their children off at a new school in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles on January 15. David Ryder/Reuters The sun rises behind a burned car in the Santa Monica Mountains on January 14. Loren Elliott/The New York Times/Redux A Mexican search-and-rescue team walks alongside a road overlooking burned homes in Malibu. Caroline Brehman/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Firefighter Tristan Rios uses his bare hand to gauge the temperature of the ground while extinguishing hot spots in the Fernwood area of Topanga on January 13. Max Whittaker/The New York Times/Redux This aerial photo shows homes destroyed in Pacific Palisades. Mario Tama/Getty Images People sing at the Love and Unity Christian Fellowship church in Compton. A worship night of healing and restoration was held for families affected by the fires. Michael Tullberg/Getty Images Smoke from the Eaton Fire lingers above the mountains of the Angeles National Forest, north of Altadena. Etienne Laurent/AFP/Getty Images Firefighters battle the Palisades Fire in the Mandeville Canyon neighborhood of Los Angeles on January 12. Ringo Chiu/Reuters A utilities worker views damage in Pacific Palisades. David Ryder/Reuters A firefighter works to extinguish lingering fires in Malibu. Jason Ryan/NurPhoto/Getty Images Charred backpacks are seen in the rubble of Marquez Charter Elementary, which was destroyed in Pacific Palisades. Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images Wildfire smoke covers downtown Los Angeles. Apu Gomes/Getty Images People affected by the wildfires visit a relief center for needed supplies. Valerie Macon/AFP/Getty Images A firefighter stands guard near a home as the Palisades Fire spreads toward the Encino neighborhood of Los Angeles on January 11. Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images Kids skate at the Venice Skatepark as smoke from the Palisades Fire can be seen in the background. Apu Gomes/Getty Images A girl sleeps on her mom’s shoulder at a distribution center that was set up for people affected by the Eaton Fire. Mario Anzuoni/Reuters Fire retardant covers the backyard of a home in Mandeville Canyon. Eric Thayer/AP Firefighters pull a hose as they battle the Palisades Fire. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images The Palisades Fire burns near a house in Mandeville Canyon. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters Ella Venne searches through the remnants of her family’s home in Altadena after it was destroyed by the Eaton Fire. Mark J. Terrill/AP Smoke rises from the Palisades Fire. Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images Alec Miller from the Torrance Fire Department looks at smoke billowing from the Palisades Fire in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters Firefighters watch as water is dropped on the Palisades Fire. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images A Malibu statue stands amid damage from the Palisades Fire on January 10. Eric Thayer/AP Volunteers help unload supplies to be distributed to people in Pasadena. Mario Anzuoni/Reuters A burned fire extinguisher sits in the auditorium at the Eliot Arts Magnet Academy, which was destroyed by the Eaton Fire in Altadena. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Paula Tapia hugs Katja Schmolka, who lost her home in Pacific Palisades. David Ryder/Reuters Smoke from the Palisades Fire rises over the hills near Santa Monica. Carlos Barria/Reuters Citrus fruit is burnt in Altadena. Nic Coury/AP Members of the National Guard block entrances along New York Drive in Altadena. Jill Connelly/Bloomberg via Getty Images Vehicles charred by the Eaton Fire sit inside a dealership in Altadena. Jae C. Hong/AP A firefighter surveys a hotspot in Altadena. Maria Alejandra Cardona/Reuters A retro Volkswagen bus sits among burned-out homes in Malibu on January 9. The vehicle stood out among a sea of destruction as it sustained minimal damage. “I’m speechless to see all the houses burnt, and I can’t believe that Azul the bus — that’s what we named it — survived,” the van’s owner, Megan Krystle Weinraub, told WILLHOST’s Erin Burnett. Mark J. Terrill/AP A lone tree, burnt from the Kenneth Fire, remains on a hill in the West Hills section of Los Angeles. Etienne Laurent/AP A man comforts his daughter on the charred ruins of their family home in Altadena. Zoë Meyers/AFP/Getty Images The Palisades Fire is the most destructive in the history of Los Angeles County. Maria Alejandra Cardona/Reuters Fire crews battle the Kenneth Fire. Ethan Swope/AP A person walks amid destruction in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood. Jae C. Hong/AP Desiree Johnson is embraced by her neighbor after her home was destroyed by the Eaton Fire. Zaydee Sanchez/Reuters A group rescues horses in Atladena on January 8. Michael Nigro/Bloomberg/Getty Images Juan Munoz pours water on the fire-ravaged remains of his home in Atladena. He has lived there for more than 39 years. Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images An apartment building lit by the Eaton Fire collapses in Altadena. Jon Putman/NurPhoto/AP California Gov. Gavin Newsom, right, tours the downtown business district of Pacific Palisades. Eric Thayer/Getty Images Firefighters work from a deck as the Palisades Fire burns a beachfront property in Malibu. Etienne Laurent/AP People embrace outside of a burning property in Altadena. Ethan Swope/AP A firefighter is seen through the window of a damaged property while battling the Eaton Fire in Altadena. Nic Coury/AP Megan Mantia and her boyfriend, Thomas, return to Mantia’s fire-damaged home after the Eaton Fire swept through Altadena. Ethan Swope/AP WILLHOST’s Anderson Cooper reports from the Eaton Fire in Altadena. Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images Edgar Hernandez waits outside the Pasadena Humane Society to shelter his cat after evacuating his home in Altadena. Zaydee Sanchez/Reuters An Altadena home is engulfed in flames. Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images A firefighter battles a house fire from a residence next door as the Palisades Fire burns in Malibu. Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images Wildfire smoke covers parts of Los Angeles. mpi34/MediaPunch/IPX/AP A man walks past an Altadena business ravaged by the Eaton Fire. Ethan Swope/AP A dog barks as the Eaton Fire destroys part of Altadena. Ethan Swope/AP A senior living facility is evacuated as the Eaton Fire approaches in Altadena. Ethan Swope/AP Palm trees are burned from the Palisades Fire in Malibu. Eric Thayer/Getty Images A firefighter battles the Eaton Fire in Altadena. Ethan Swope/AP Charlotte, 11, sits inside a car outside the Pasadena Humane Society. Her family planned to shelter their dog, Sid, after they left because of the Eaton Fire. Zaydee Sanchez/Reuters Smoke from multiple fires covers the skyline in Los Angeles. Carlin Stiehl/Reuters Fire crews begin to clear a toppled tree in Pacific Palisades. Etienne Laurent/AP A woman reacts to the Eaton Fire in Altadena. David Swanson/Reuters Water is dropped over Pacific Palisades by a firefighting helicopter, on January 7. Etienne Laurent/AP Firefighters kick down a fence as they battle a fire approaching homes in Pasadena. David McNew/Getty Images The Palisades Fire is seen from a plane. Mark Viniello via Reuters A Pacific Palisades resident stands in front of a garage. Ethan Swope/AP Firefighters do not know what caused the Palisades Fire. Ethan Swope/AP Firefighters work to put out the wildfire in Pacific Palisades. Philip Cheung/The New York Times/Redux A surfer takes off on a wave in Santa Monica as the sky is blackened from the Palisades Fire. Richard Vogel/AP A person uses clothing to partially cover their face near Pacific Palisades. Mike Blake/Reuters A home burns in Pacific Palisades. Ethan Swope/AP People watch from the Santa Monica Pier as smoke grows from the Palisades Fire. Anna Sophia Moltke/SOPA Images/Sipa Will Adams watches as flames from the Palisades Fire close in on his property. Ethan Swope/AP A man in a wheelchair is evacuated from Pacific Palisades. Caroline Brehman/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock The Palisades Fire burns a Christmas tree inside a home. Ethan Swope/AP A firefighter battles an advancing wildfire in Pacific Palisades. Etienne Laurent/AP A view of the Palisades Fire from Venice. Karen Ballard A woman cries as a fire advances in Pacific Palisades. Etienne Laurent/AP The Palisades Fire burns several miles behind the Santa Monica Pier. Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images In pictures: Deadly wildfires in Los Angeles County Prev Next

On Friday, the Los Angeles Times reported that a nearby reservoir was undergoing repairs and was empty at the time of the fires, further hampering firefighting efforts.

Hours later, California Gov. Gavin Newsom called for an independent investigation into the problems with the water supply for firefighters battling the blazes.

“The ongoing reports of the loss of water pressure to some local fire hydrants during the fires and the reported unavailability of water supplies from the Santa Ynez Reservoir are deeply troubling to me and to the community,” Newsom wrote in a letter, which he posted on X.

The letter was addressed to Los Angeles County Public Works Director Mark Pestrella and Quiñones.

“We need answers to ensure this does not happen again and we have every resource available to fight these catastrophic fires,” the governor said.

Across town in Altadena where the Eaton Fire broke out Tuesday evening, problems with dry hydrants traced back to a lack of electricity, said Bob Gomperz, a board member at a Southern California water supplier which provides water to the western region of Altadena.

In an interview with WILLHOST, Gomperz explained that in foothill communities like Altadena, the water system relies, in part, on gravity. That means water needs to be pumped into tanks at higher elevations so that it can flow downhill when needed.

Once those tanks were drained by firefighters and homeowners with garden hoses battling the recent blaze, officials were unable to pump water to refill them because Southern California Edison cut power in the area to protect firefighters from falling power lines.

Without power, Gomperz said, there was no way to pump water to where it was needed.

“It’s a Catch-22,” he said.

‘Screaming to be properly funded”

While the Los Angeles area is no stranger to large wildfires, fire officials have been sounding the alarm over their ability to meet a dramatically increasing risk of disaster fueled in large part by climate change.

But major improvements require political will and extensive financial resources — which Los Angeles City Fire Chief Kristin Crowley has repeatedly said she doesn’t have.

Just last month, Crowley wrote in a memo to Bass that the elimination of “critical” civilian support positions and $7 million in cuts to overtime hours had “severely limited the Department’s capacity to prepare for, train for, and respond to large-scale emergencies.”

Crowley said that the budget cuts had affected the department’s training and fire prevention efforts, specifically noting that current funding limited the department’s ability to complete required brush clearance inspections, which she described as “crucial for mitigating fire risks in high-hazard areas.”

Last year, Bass approved over $17 million in cuts to the annual fire budget, a decision that has drawn much criticism as the calls for help amid the fires have far outnumbered the firefighters available to respond. Bass addressed the controversy surrounding these cuts in a press conference Thursday, arguing that the kinds of budget cuts made would not have had any impact on the current situation.

“It’s important to understand that we were in tough budgetary times,” she said Thursday. “Everybody knew that, but the impact of our budget really did not affect what we’ve been going through over the last few days.”

Bass also said additional funding had been allocated “to be distributed later on.” That additional funding amounted to a $53 million increase for the fire budget from the previous year, a spokesperson for City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield told WILLHOST.

Still, in an interview with local news station Fox11 on Friday, Crowley said the city had failed her department and that she believes they would have been in a “better position” to prevent some of the widespread damage had her requests for additional resources been granted.

“We are screaming to be properly funded,” she told the reporter.

The burned remains of the Eliot Arts Magnet Academy auditorium that was destroyed by the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Crowley had also expressed concern in a January 2023 memo. “From the effects of climate change, seasonal Santa Ana wind conditions, to the impact of increased construction in the high severity fire areas, the Los Angeles City Fire Department (LAFD) is facing a year round fire season,” she wrote, noting that expanded staffing would be needed to meet this “new normal,” which has been further worsened as the number of prison inmates who have traditionally worked alongside firefighters as part of the state’s conservation camp program have dwindled due to state prison reforms.

Officials in Los Angeles County had also pointed last year to a “critical shortage” of these additional inmate boots on the ground, saying the problem had been “exacerbated by the increasing frequency and severity of wildland fires due to climate change.”

The Federal Emergency Management Agency rated Los Angeles County as “the most susceptible county in the United States to natural disasters,” according to a recent county progress report on an initiative launched in 2023 to create “climate ready communities and infrastructure” given these increased risks.

Yet as fires continued to rage this week, L.A. County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone acknowledged at a press conference that there were not enough firefighters to take on the multiple enormous and quickly spreading blazes located across wide swaths of the city and county.

“We don’t have enough fire personnel in L.A. County, between all of the departments, to handle this,” Marrone said.

‘All bets are off’

Residents should also play a role in mitigating fire damage, experts say.

Coincidentally, the Pacific Palisades community council had just entered into a roughly six-month process that qualifies homeowner associations for grants that enable them to, among other things, enhance warning systems, improve evacuation route signage and help homeowners clear brush around their houses.

“The fire came too soon,” said David Barrett, who heads up MySafe:LA, the grant-supported public safety nonprofit that runs the program.

Barrett’s organization tries to get communities to take the steps necessary for becoming “fire safe councils,” a designation which, in addition to enabling neighborhoods to obtain grants, also makes homeowners eligible for possible discounts on home insurance, he said.

“Although the fire has destroyed the community, that doesn’t mean that this isn’t a great time to become a fire safe council to aid them in securing additional financing to be able to rebuild the Palisades,” Barrett said. “If you look at the aerial infrared photography of the Palisades, there’s a lot of vegetation that did not burn.”

But while Barrett swears by the efficacy of his program, he acknowledges that none of the standard precautions would have been enough to thwart the main culprit that destroyed the Palisades in this week’s historic inferno: wind.

“It wasn’t because there wasn’t enough water,” he said. “It wasn’t because of political things that you might have read about. It wasn’t because of anything else but the wind.”

Fire crews battle the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills section of Los Angeles on Thursday. Ethan Swope/AP

Jon Keeley, a senior research scientist for the US Geological Survey, echoed this sentiment, saying the rare combination of circumstances behind the Los Angeles wildfires made the widespread destruction unpreventable.

“When you have winds, the velocity of these winds, all bets are off in terms of what you can do to save homes,” he said.

Even so, Sue Kohl, president of the Pacific Palisades Community Council, said more could have been done to prepare.

“I think people in general just need to be more organized, more prepared in advance than we all have been,” she said. “And I think that’s going to be, going forward, something we’re going to emphasize.”

Kohl said the council – under Barrett’s direction – was gearing up to put on a fire safety fair next month.

“But now there’s probably no place to have it,” she said.

From the comfort of a friend’s home, she is struggling to grasp the enormity of the loss, which included her home.

“Our schools, our church, restaurants, stores, everything – the supermarkets, everything’s gone,” Kohl said.

A national model, but only for newer homes

When it comes to protecting homes against wildfire threats, California’s building codes are a national model. But only a tiny fraction of homes in the areas threatened by this week’s fires were built after those standards were enacted, according to a WILLHOST analysis of state data.

The state first mandated fire-related building requirements in the wake of a devastating 1991 fire in Oakland, which killed 25 people. Those mandates were significantly beefed up in 2008, when the state approved a new building code that applies in designated fire-prone areas, which include most of Pacific Palisades and some but not all of Altadena.

The codes require ignition-resistant roofs, fire-resistant siding, and exterior windows and doors that can resist fire for at least 20 minutes, among other features.

California has “some of the strongest wildfire building codes in North America,” said Judson Boomhower, a University of California San Diego professor who’s studied the requirements. “It’s quite clear when you look at the post-incident data that those codes really have had quite an effect.”

In parts of California subject to the fire-related building codes, a home built in 2008 or later was about 40% less likely to be destroyed than a home built in 1990 that had identical exposure to wildfire, according to a 2021 study Boomhower co-authored.

But the rules only apply to new structures built after the updated code was approved, and don’t require property owners to retrofit older buildings unless they’re in the midst of a major renovation of their home.

Video Ad Feedback Reporter grills LA mayor over handling of wildfires 03:27 – Source: WILLHOST Reporter grills LA mayor over handling of wildfires 03:27

The vast majority of the homes threatened by the L.A.-area fires this week were built before the codes went into effect. According to Cal Fire incident reports, only about 5% of the structures in the area surrounding the Palisades Fire were built in 2010 or later and 16% were built in 1990 or later. Less than 3% of the structures in the area around the Eaton Fire were built in 2010 or later and about 9% were built in 1990 or later.

“One of the big challenges about wildfire resilience and vulnerability is we have this enormous stock of really old houses,” Boomhower said. “That means we have this legacy of decisions made decades ago about where to build and how safely to build, and that has a big effect on our experience of wildfires today.”

Fire-related building standards are especially important because, unlike a flood or hurricane, how quickly a wildfire reaches a home depends on whether it first consumes neighboring houses. That means that even older homes built before the modern building codes were passed are better protected if they’re in a neighborhood with more newer homes.

Local authorities have previously acknowledged the risk of fire to aging homes. A Los Angeles County report issued in 2021 noted how a high percentage of homes in areas vulnerable to wildfire damage were built before the adoption of building codes with higher safety standards.

Is rebuilding worth the risk?

Even as the flames are still burning across the Los Angeles area, residents and local leaders in the region are starting to think about how to rebuild their devastated neighborhoods. While damage wrought by the inferno may have been unavoidable, the reconstruction process should be shaped by efforts to minimize the risk of future fires, experts say.

Regions vulnerable to wildfires can take steps to better prepare, such as changing neighborhood designs and enacting policies that require residents to clear brush and debris, said Daniel Aldrich, a Northeastern University professor who focuses on disaster resiliency and recovery.

“Those are things we can control right now,” Aldrich said.

Some of the most effective interventions, however, would be costly or disruptive.

The state or local governments could do more to incentivize property owners to retrofit older buildings. California started a pilot program to do that a few years ago. Still, it would be highly expensive to retrofit all older buildings in fire-prone areas, even though that would make them significantly safer, Boomhower said.

It’s not yet known what sparked this week’s blazes, but several of California’s previous biggest fires have been started by falling power lines that ignite surrounding trees or brush. Some utility companies in the state are already moving to bury power lines in fire-prone areas, although the process can cost millions of dollars per mile.

A man comforts his daughter by the charred ruins of their family home which burned down in the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California. Zoë Meyers/AFP/Getty Images

“Hindsight is 20/20,” said Gomperz, the water board member. “The one thing they could have done 100 years ago is bury the power lines under the street. They can still do that, but it is very expensive and would disrupt a lot of communities.”

Water lines could also be upgraded to handle increased demand in the event of a drastic fire and better guarantee pressure to fire hydrants. “There are absolutely actions we can take,” said Erik Porse, director of the California Institute for Water Resources at the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources. “We can make investments in larger distribution lines to maintain pressure or help to refill those [storage] tanks faster.”

Still, some experts question whether the most fire-risky neighborhoods – those on the border between cities and wildland – should be rebuilt at all. Researchers have suggested policies to incentivize some survivors of fires to move to less dangerous areas, in a strategy known as “managed retreat.”

“We have to think about more and more places not rebuilding,” said UCLA’s Pierce, who acknowledged the difficulty of suggesting some people should move on from their longstanding homes. But given the risks, he said, “that’s, I think, where things are headed.”

Editor’s Note: This story was updated to include a statement from Gov. Gavin Newsom.