Proposed Santa Rosa fire hazard map places thousands in higher risk zone

Added: 2026-05-13

[00:00:00]Welcome in. A new fire risk map prompting a whole lot of questions and concerns in Santa Rosa.

[00:00:06]>> Yeah. Right now, city leaders are starting a debate over a plan that could impact thousands of home owners. Here's a look at the current fire risk map for the city of Santa Rosa. Inside the pink outlines are the high fire danger areas.

[00:00:18]And you can see how it compares to CalFire's threat map. Also here shown in yellow, orange, and red. The darker the color, the higher your risk. Now, here's what the new map from the city of Santa Rosa would actually look like. It's a larger area covering more of CalFire's danger zones. Brad Hamilton spoke with residents and the city's fire marshal about the potential impact of these changes.

[00:00:44]>> For more than 30 years, Chris Smith has called Creekide Road in the Bennett Valley neighborhood of Santa Rosa home.

[00:00:51]In that time, he's watched fires devastate part of his city, but never here.

[00:00:56]>> There are people I have a neighbor across the street who moved to this neighborhood because um one of the earlier fires burned down right to her fence.

[00:01:06]>> However, under a proposed update to the city's fire hazard map, his home and over 3,000 others would be placed in a higher risk zone in order to align with recently released state maps. It's a change that could come with new requirements like clearing weeds and other flammable material during fire season.

[00:01:23]>> Sure like to get some some help from the public agencies that sort of control and protect this creek.

[00:01:30]>> Smith and a group of neighbors have gathered more than 100 signatures asking the city to slow down the process to give time for ground level assessments of the actual fire risk. Tonight they plan to bring that message directly to council as they plan to discuss the changes. But fire marshal Paul Loenthal says local governments are required to adopt the state recommendations and the maps will help ensure rules are applied consistently in the most fireprone parts of the city and in many cases the new areas won't see much change.

[00:02:02]>> The areas that are being added uh those roughly 3,000 properties are outside of our uh our burn scars. They're outside of our hillside communities. Lowenthal also insured us this change won't impact home insurance decisions as insurance companies rely on their own fire risk models. And for most homeowners, the biggest difference they'll see is oversight. But for Smith, this is more than just about policy. It's about making sure the decision matches the reality of the fire risk in his neighborhood.

[00:02:32]>> We want to be as certain as possible that we're not just a line on a map. All right, come on, sweetheart. because like anything else, he worries that once you open the door for new rules, more might come. And he doesn't want to be left with the cost if the city got it wrong.

[00:02:50]>> And the growing fire threat across our state, driving insurance prices higher.

[00:02:55]Farmers insurance will raise rates this fall after state regulators approved an average of 1.5% increase. Nearly 915,000 policy holders will see higher costs.

[00:03:06]The company also plans to expand coverage in high wildfire risk areas while offering though bigger discounts for fire prevention efforts.