California Recommends Wildfire Safety Standards For Homes

Officials in the U.S. state of California have issued a series of recommendations for homeowners to better protect themselves and their communities from devastating wildfires.

The guidelines released Monday include the use of fire-resistant roofing and vents, having a clear area 1.5 meters around the house, using noncombustible materials for the first 15 centimeters of exterior walls and making sure outbuildings are located at least nine meters from the house.

Officials said communities also need to have defined evacuation routes that are clear of hazards as well as shelter in place plans.

California routinely deals with wildfires, and state officials said since 2017, the fires have destroyed nearly 50,000 homes.

Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara said Monday that reducing wildfire risk will help bring down insurance premiums and prompt insurance companies to offer incentives to homeowners to retrofit older buildings to make them safer.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press.