Wildfires Spread Through Homes, Not Just Forests | Los Angeles News

Wildfires aren’t just burning forests anymore—they’re spreading through neighborhoods like dominoes, and the numbers are staggering: over 2.5 million homes across the Western U.S. are at serious risk, with a combined reconstruction value of $1.4 trillion. Old models focused on terrain and trees, but new research shows it’s the density of homes that accelerates fire spread—meaning even fire-hardened houses can’t survive if neighbors are fuel. California leads the danger list, with over a million properties exposed—nearly 250,000 in Los Angeles alone, worth $209 billion. Outside California, Colorado and Texas face massive exposure too, with Austin topping the list among non-California cities. Climate shifts may make fires worse in some areas, but communities working together on prevention are seeing up to 78% fewer losses than state averages. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/22b6520ba1084ab4 Presented by The Plant Daddies — rare specimen trees, living art, and hand-carved limestone vessels and fountains for extraordinary spaces. Showrooms in Los Angeles and Irvine. Listeners of Los Angeles News Today receive 10% off with code LANEWS10. theplantdaddies.com/lanews