Growth Pressure, Lack Of Planning Aggravate Fire Risks

Many people think of earthquakes as the most threatening environmental hazard in the western U.S., but last year’s destructive wildfires show another serious concern for areas of the west seeing explosive growth and expansion. Hundreds of thousands of residents continue to push outwards into "wildland-urban interface" areas on the metropolitan fringes seeking the beauty of natural surroundings while maintaining proximity to urban amenities. Lack of suitable community planning and public policy regulations in some burgeoning areas are putting tens of thousands of homes at risk.