There are three hazard levels: moderate, high and very high. “Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps evaluate ‘hazard,’ not ‘risk’,” the fire marshal’s office said. “They are like flood ...

Southern California’s five most populous counties saw the size of the very-high fire zone grow to more than 812,000 acres in the latest update, up from just over 644,000 in the previous maps ...

The number of acres in the top two fire zones that must comply with stiffer, fire-safe building codes increased 76% in Southern California areas protected by local firefighters, new state hazard maps ...