The Christian Science Monitor

California asks, who is responsible for wildfire safety?

The wildfires that ravaged California last year left behind a scorched landscape and a rubble pile of unsettling numbers.

Some 9,900 fires burned more than 4.2 million acres and destroyed almost 10,500 homes and other buildings, killing 33 people and causing an estimated $10 billion in damage. The devastation included five of the six largest infernos in state history – and the first to exceed 1 million acres – and forced tens of thousands of residents to flee their homes as flames threatened towns and cities alike.

As much as ailing natural lands, forest mismanagement, and climate change, residential sprawl has contributed to an

What legal action has California taken to try to limit new housing in fire-prone areas?What measures are state lawmakers proposing to curb construction in high-risk fire zones? How is California trying to nurture a sense of shared responsibility for wildfire prevention and safety?

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