Can We Stop Wildfire? The Reality of Living in Fire Country

# Can We Stop Wildfire? The Reality of Living in Fire Country

Short answer: no. And we shouldn't try.

Wildfire has shaped California, Australia, the Mediterranean, and similar ecosystems for millions of years. The question isn't how to eliminate fire. It's how to coexist with it.

## A century of getting it wrong

For a hundred years, fire suppression was the strategy. Put out every fire immediately. Seemed logical.

It was a disaster.

Suppressing natural fires let fuel accumulate. Small, frequent fires that historically cleared underbrush got extinguished. Dead vegetation piled up for decades. When fires finally broke through—and they always do—they burned hotter and faster than anything in the historical record.

The 2025 Palisades and Eaton fires showed what fuel-loaded landscapes do. Flames reaching 200 feet. Fire moving at highway speeds. Fires generating their own weather. This isn't natural wildfire behavior. This is what happens when you let fuel build up for generations.

## What indigenous peoples knew

Native peoples in these regions used controlled burns for thousands of years. Regular, low-intensity fires cleared brush, reduced fuel loads, and kept forests healthy. Fire was a tool.

Modern fire management is slowly returning to this approach:
- Prescribed burns under controlled conditions
- Cultural burning led by indigenous practitioners
- Defensible space around structures
- Building homes that can survive fire exposure

## What we can actually control

**At the community level:**
Vegetation management in the wildland-urban interface. Prescribed burn programs. Building codes requiring fire-resistant construction.

**At the individual level:**
Home hardening against embers. Zone 0 clearance. Ember-resistant vents and eaves. Fire-resistant landscaping.

## The multi-partner reality

No single organization fixes this. Fire departments handle active firefighting and education. Cal Fire manages large-scale burns. Building departments enforce codes. Insurance companies incentivize mitigation through pricing. Assessment services help homeowners understand specific risks. Contractors implement the physical work.

Everyone has a piece. No one has the whole solution.

## For those who stay

Some people will leave fire country. That's a reasonable choice. These are difficult places to live, and they're getting more difficult.

For those who stay—because you love these hills, because your family has been here for generations, because nowhere else feels right—you need to prepare. Not in theory. In practice. Fire is part of where you live. The only question is whether you're ready for it.