CHARM Roadmap: Wildfires

Wildfires are a natural part of many ecosystems, especially in California, where fire has long played a role in shaping the landscape. However, a combination of prolonged drought, increasing extreme heat and wind events, and the buildup of dry vegetation has made wildfires more frequent, intense, and destructive in recent years. When flammable vegetation exists near homes and structures, the risk of fire damage increases significantly. Wildfires can ignite from something as small as a spark, a lightning strike, or a downed power line, and under the right conditions, can spread rapidly—posing serious threats to communities, public health, and the environment.

Impacts of wildfires

Wildfires pose serious threats to people, animals, homes, and essential infrastructure. In addition to the immediate danger, they produce harmful smoke that worsens respiratory and heart conditions, and may contaminate water supplies. Evacuations, property loss, and prolonged displacement contribute to stress, trauma, and housing instability—particularly for vulnerable populations. Wildfires also disrupt local economies, damage ecosystems, and strain public services, with recovery often taking years.

Populations at risk

While wildfires can affect entire communities, certain populations face greater challenges in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from wildfire events. In Lake County, some of the most vulnerable groups include:

• People with limited mobility or transportation access, who may be unable to evacuate quickly or reach safe locations.
• Outdoor workers- particularly agricultural workers- may face barriers to receiving timely alerts or evacuating while at work. Outdoor workers also face prolonged exposure to harmful wildfire smoke and hazardous air quality.
• Individuals with limited access to communication tools or alerts, including those without cell service, internet, or who are not enrolled in emergency notification systems.
• People experiencing homelessness, who may lack safe shelter or the ability to relocate during wildfire events.
• Residents in remote or isolated areas, where evacuation routes may be limited or cut off by fire.
• Individuals hesitant to evacuate, including those concerned about leaving pets behind, staying in unfamiliar shelters, or facing stigma or unsafe conditions in evacuation centers.

Wildfires have been increasing in frequency and severity in California, and Lake County has experienced some of the most frequent and severe wildfires in the state.

• Over 65% of Lake County has been burned since 2011, the highest proportion of any county in the state.
• Two of the three largest wildfires in California history have impacted Lake County in the last decade- the Mendocino Complex Fire (2018) and the August Complex Fire (2020).
• The 2015 Valley Fire- one of the most destructive in state history at the time- burned 76,067 acres, destroyed nearly 2,000 structures, and resulted in 4 fatalities.
• In 2024 alone, Lake County experienced 8 wildfires, highlighting the persistent threat even outside of mega-fire events.

Due to theses extreme and repeated wildfires, almost 8% of Lake County homeowners lost home insurance coverage in 2023, the highest non-renewal rate in the U.S.

Survey responses

• 59% of respondents believe there will be more wildfires in Lake County over the next 20 years.

• 51% expect smoke or poor air quality impacts—such as breathing issues or asthma—to become more common in their community.

• 60% said they always or sometimes lack support to evacuate during a climate-driven emergency (CDE), and 25% said they would stay in place during a PSPS or extreme heat event.

• During a heavy smoke event, the most common protective actions included:

  • Leaving the area (35%)
  • Wearing a mask (35%)
  • Staying in place (31%)
  • Additional actions included using AC or swamp coolers (28%) and air purifiers (27%)
  • Only ~11% would go to a public or community cooling space, and ~1% would take no action

Community voices

"It was scary because it it just hit out of nowhere... I think we got a motel room or something out of town. I went and stayed with some family, you know, and then came back when it was okay... They had quite a bit of help at the churches and everything... because there's people that lost everything...I actually helped unload a bunch of water, and I kind of pitched in too."

"I would probably get in my car and head toward my daughter's house in Santa Rosa, but that's a hard question, because you don't keep those numbers right on hand, and then you panic, and then you think, oh my god, where do I find their phone numbers? And I guess all seniors should put those kind of numbers in their phone. A lot of us don't."

"It was bad because all the smoke was gone in our lungs and all that…Yeah I had to go to the the hospital, me and my grandma, because I was having a hard time breathing because of the smoke."

"It's just super sad, especially seeing like stuff on the Facebook of the flames or that the fire has destroyed their homes. Like, last week, there's another home over here by Highway 20, and it was a rental for a nurse and completely just ashes. So it's just super sad. Like everybody works for their house to bring food to the table for their family, and just to see that gone overnight or in minutes... it's just really sad to see... I'm kind of like, speechless sometimes when I see stuff like that, and especially when it's arson, it's just like- really people, what are you guys thinking?"

Lake County’s Office of Emergency Services, Tribal governments, and NGOs like the Red Cross provide critical support during wildfire emergencies. Building on these systems, Tribal, government, and community entities and organizations can expand efforts by:

• Advancing risk reduction: Support home hardening, defensible space projects, and vegetation management in fire-prone areas—especially for vulnerable populations.
• Expanding resilience centers: Equip trusted local facilities serving as resilience centers with backup power, air filtration, emergency supplies, and pet care supplies to serve residents during fire and smoke events.
• Supporting vulnerable populations: Assist residents with evacuation planning, emergency kits, and culturally relevant outreach, especially the most vulnerable communities.
• Improving communication: Strengthen multilingual, multi-platform systems to provide timely alerts and safety information before and during fires, including direct outreach to unhoused communities, outdoor workers, Tribal leadership, and those who serve seniors and disabled communities.
• Fostering cross-sector coordination: Continue collaboration between the County, Tribes, emergency responders, and community partners to improve preparedness and equitable disaster response.

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