Northern California’s Areas of High Wildfire Risk Expand Greatly Since 2011, New Maps Show

A plume rises over a vineyard as the Hennessey Fire burns, in unincorporated Napa County, Calif., on Aug. 18, 2020. Although San Joaquin County did not have any "very high" fire hazard areas, Napa and Sonoma county's hazard areas have grown substantially since 2011, according to new maps by the state fire marshal. Noah Berger/AP Photo

In Northern California’s wine country, the number of acres at “very high” risk of wildfire has exploded since 2011, according to new maps issued by the state’s fire marshal Feb. 24.

Fire Marshal Daniel Berlant released a second set of new fire hazard maps for several counties in Northern California, updating communities about the risk of wildfire in their area.

The latest maps are the second phase of a four-part rollout of the state’s new 2025 Fire Hazard Severity Zones. The first release Feb. 10 covered Northern California’s inland counties.

According to the state’s new findings, which still need to be adopted by individual counties, Napa’s areas of “very high” fire hazard have grown to more than 5,000 acres, compared with about 700 in 2011—a seven-fold increase in the county, home to about 475 historic and modern wineries.

In neighboring Sonoma County on the coast north of San Francisco, more than 9,400 acres were designated with “very high” hazard, compared with nearly 1,700 acres in 2011—a five-fold jump. Sonoma County, home to more than 425 wineries, is the largest wine producer in Northern California.

The findings come just after last month’s Palisades and Eaton fires killed 29 people and destroyed over 6,800 structures in Los Angeles County.

The state’s fire hazard zones were updated for the first time since 2011 this year, with changes that could affect building codes if they are adopted by counties or local jurisdictions.

“These [maps] are what we are proposing to local agencies,” Deputy State Fire Marshal Kara Garrett told The Epoch Times. “These may not be what the local agencies adopt. It’s up to them to take them and make them their own.”

Destruction from the Palisades Fire near Los Angeles on Jan. 9, 2024. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

The second phase this week included maps for the wine country counties of Mendocino, Sonoma, and Napa, and other Bay Area counties: San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Merced, Santa Clara, Alameda, Stanislaus, and San Joaquin. Other counties to receive updated maps were Humboldt, Del Norte, and Yolo.

To determine the severity of hazard, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention (Cal Fire) considers the area’s fire history and physical conditions such as terrain, typical weather, existing and potential fuel or vegetation, predicted flame length, and potential for blowing embers.

The map updates were created in response to Senate Bill 63, passed in 2021, according to Garrett. The bill made several changes to state law to enhance fire prevention efforts by Cal Fire. The maps now show zones of moderate, high, and very high hazard. Previously, the fire marshal was required to show only zones of very high hazard.

About 1,500 firefighters battled a wildfire in Malibu, Calif., on Dec. 11, 2024. Cal Fire

On Feb. 6, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order to step up wildfire preparedness throughout the state.

“We are living in a new reality of extremes,” Newsom said in a press release about the executive order. “Believe the science. ... Mother Nature is changing the way we live and we must continue adapting to those changes.”

The governor added that the state needed to keep updating its standards in the most fire-prone areas.

The executive order directed the State Board of Forestry to accelerate its work to adopt regulations known as “Zone 0,” which will require an ember-resistant zone within five feet of structures in the highest fire severity zones.

“Science has shown that combustible material within the immediate five feet of a structure contributes the greatest risk of embers directly or indirectly igniting the home,” the governor’s office stated in the press release.

The order also required the Office of the State Fire Marshal to release the updated hazard maps for areas under local government responsibility, adding 1.4 million new acres into the two higher tiers of fire severity.

The updates are expected to impact building and local planning requirements for the communities statewide, Newsom said.

The state anticipates that any new building or planning regulations would apply immediately to new construction. Requirements for existing homes would likely be phased in over a three-year period to allow homeowners to prepare and prioritize mitigations and secure financial assistance, according to Newsom’s office.