Wildfires are a devastating threat to homeowners everywhere, especially in the western United States. These fires wreak havoc on the lives of thousands of people every year.
Federal government data shows that while the number of wildfires has declined in recent years, the area that typically burns in each fire is increasing.
The 2022 Wildfire Risk Report from analytics firm CoreLogic notes:
“Over the past decade, wildfire activity has become more extreme and destructive with more record fires in terms of number of structures lost and acres burned in a single event.”
Over the past decade, wildfires have burned an average of 6.8 million acres per year, according to CoreLogic. That’s a big increase from the annual average of 2.7 million acres per year from 1983 to 1992.
Residents of some states are at much higher risk of wildfire damage than others. CoreLogic says the following locations have the highest number of homes at risk.
1. California
Single-family residences in this condition at risk of wildfire damage: 1,265,435
Surprisingly, a review of historical trends from 2017 found that the number of California wildfires actually peaked in 1980 and has been declining for the past several decades.
But drought conditions in recent years have prompted a more recent increase in fire activity. And in a state as populous as California, that puts many homes at risk.
2. Florida
Single-family residences in this condition at risk of wildfire damage: 814 499
Like California, Florida is one of the most populous states in the country, putting more homes at risk when wildfires break out.
A recent study predicted that due to climate change, the percentage of homes threatened by wildfires in Florida could increase from the current 6% to 12% by 2052. And because Florida is so densely populated, more 70% of all wildfires already threaten some type of structure in the state, according to the Florida Forest Service.
3.Texas
Single-family residences in this condition at risk of wildfire damage: 474 560
Texas rounds out the trio of highly populated states with the most homes at risk of wildfire damage. As with the other states on this list, the fear is that as climate change dries out the landscape, future fires could become more destructive.
The rest of the top 10
Here are the rest of the top 10 states with the most homes at risk of wildfire damage, and the number of those homes:
- Colorado: 319,799
- New Mexico: 120,428
- Oregon: 119,541
- Arizona: 119,231
- Idaho: 96,939
- Alaska: 84,882
- Montana: 80,694
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