96
The Big Finish
Wrap your head
around the market's
leading indicators.
PROPERTY RISK IN THE
DANGER ZONE
According to data related to wildfires, new homes continue to be constructed in high risk areas. A group called Cape Analytics
used artificial intelligence to analyze wide swaths of geospatial imagery to better understand properties and property risk, the
company reported.
"We wanted to explore exactly how much sprawl there has been in the West's high-risk fire zones. From the standpoint of
insurance and danger to human life, these homes and adjacent communities are especially risky," the authors of the report said.
"Quantifying the risk can help homeowners and agencies ... take more proactive and focused measures to protect lives and property."
California leads the West when it comes to the most builds in high-risk areas.
"Given that California is the most populous state in the country, we can expect a lot of new construction. When adjusting for
population size, Utah leads the West by a significant margin in building homes in places with high fire risks," said the researchers.
NUMBER OF NEW HOMES
BUILT IN THE LAST DECADE IN
EACH HIGH-RISK* STATE
*Cape Analytics said it focused on areas in or near the
Wildland Urban Interface, areas designated by the
U.S. Forest Service, where human development and
fire-prone wilderness meet.
10,222
CALIFORNIA
1,273
ARIZONA
6,144
UTAH
690
IDAHO
489
WASHINGTON
327
MONTANA
216
OREGON
1,956
COLORADO
1,065
NEVADA
