In recent years, there have been a number of fast-moving, destructive wildfires in which residents had little or no warning to evacuate. Federal officials have new recommendations for how communities should prepare for such disasters.
In 2018, the Camp Fire burned Paradise, Calif., to the ground and killed 85 people. Many were trapped by the inferno before evacuation orders were even issued, and gridlocked traffic and flames made evacuation impossible for others.
Alex Maranghides, co-author of a new report from the National Institute of Standards and Technology intended to help communities save lives amid fast-moving blazes, said the historic blaze exemplifies “the new norm in terms of intensity and speed of fire progression that we're seeing.”
One of the core messages of the report, he said, is the importance of preparing before disasters – and including the public in that preparation.
“You cannot make the plan during the event when it comes to these very rapidly deteriorating events,” he said. “There is not enough time.”
“If we are in a reactive mode, the fatalities will keep increasing,” he added.
One of the key recommendations is to establish so-called temporary fire refuge areas, pre-designated and clearly labeled sites that make survival more likely when evacuation isn’t feasible. That could be an empty parking lot, or a golf course or other open space.
“All of this needs to be pre-planned,” Maranghides said. “Communicated, town halls, get the public involved, label, rehearse, drill – and the drill is essential.”
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Colorado and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
