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Newport Beach hears wildfire "fire pathways" assessment; city to prioritize Buck Gully mitigation and home hardening
Summary
Fire officials presented a fire-pathways model showing likely entry points for fast-moving wind-driven fires and recommended prioritizing fuel management zones, home hardening and a 100-foot Buck Gully buffer funded by grant support, with the city offering free home assessments.
Fire Chief Jeff Boyles and a retired chief laid out a new "fire pathways" assessment on Sept. 9 that models where wind-driven fires are most likely to enter Newport Beach and how the city can best reduce the risk to neighborhoods.
The presentation, given by retired Chief Dave Winaker and introduced by Chief Boyles, said wildfire behavior in the city is driven by three inputs ' topography, fuel and weather ' and that fast-moving, wind-driven events have accounted for a disproportionate share of structure losses in the American West. "Fire is driven by topography, fuel, and weather. That's it," Winaker said, summarizing the modeling approach.
Why it matters: The modeling identifies "points of entry" where vegetative fires can transition to structure…
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