Cal Fire tells Colfax nearly all city is now graded Very High fire-hazard severity; 45-day comments, local ordinance adoption to follow

Division Chief Ryan Wozner of Cal Fire told the Colfax City Council on Feb. 26 that the Office of the State Fire Marshal has reclassified the city as a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone in the Local Responsibility Area (LRA) mapping update.

The change means the entire city of Colfax will be treated as higher-severity wildfire hazard on the new state maps and, under state law, local governments will be required to adopt an ordinance accepting the maps if they want to remain aligned with state regulations and remain eligible for certain state and federal funding programs. "The city of Colfax in its entirety is being graded as a very high hazard severity zone," Wozner said.

Why it matters: the classification triggers more stringent building-code requirements, influences defensible-space inspections connected to property transactions, and can affect eligibility for federal and state disaster assistance such as FEMA's Fire Management Assistance Grant (FMAG) programs. Cal Fire representatives said the updated…