Los Angeles fire mapping reveals Altadena as highest national wildfire risk area

The City Club Missoula meeting held on June 12, 2025, focused on critical discussions surrounding fire risk management and community safety. The meeting began with a presentation highlighting the significant fire events that occurred in Los Angeles earlier this year, particularly the Eaton fire, which underscored the urgent need for effective fire risk assessment tools.

The speaker presented a map created in 2024 for Altadena, California, illustrating that this area faced greater fire risk than any other community nationwide. This map was pivotal in understanding the relationship between fire risk and actual fire events. The Eaton fire's perimeter was overlaid on a risk-to-homes map, demonstrating a close correlation between the mapped high-risk areas and the fire's spread.

A key point raised during the discussion was the effectiveness of fire modeling in wildland environments compared to built environments. The current models used for predicting fire spread do not adequately transition from wildland to urban settings, which poses a challenge for community safety and preparedness.

The meeting concluded with a call for improved fire modeling techniques that can better account for the complexities of urban areas, emphasizing the need for ongoing research and development in fire risk management strategies. The discussions highlighted the importance of proactive measures to protect communities from future fire threats.