Why Urban Areas Are at Risk for Wildfires

Learn how cities can prevent wildfires with fire mitigation strategies, emergency response plans, and community fire safety measures to protect urban areas, from the team at WFCA.

Preventing and Mitigating Wildfires in Cities

As wildfires become increasingly frequent, urban areas must protect themselves. Communities in the Wildland Urban Interface, and areas with strong wind conditions, are at a higher risk of damaging, widespread wildfires.

Risk of Wildfires in Urban Areas

Urban areas within the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) are at increased risk of wildfires. Expanding development into these areas has led to a rise in fires, and currently there are over 60,000 communities facing the risk of WUI fires.^1,2 The amount of WUI land continues to grow by an estimated 2,000,000 acres every year.¹ The risk of WUI fires will continue to increase as this population grows.  

Wind Driven Fires

Fires driven by strong winds have the potential to spread faster and further, causing more damage. In the 2025 Palisades and Eaton Fires, downslope winds of up to 100 mph contributed to the widespread destruction. During the 2023 Maui Fires, downslope wind gusts reached 92 mph. Warm, dry winds such as these significantly increase the damage caused by wildfires. Wind can help fires to jump over rivers or highways, which makes gaining control more difficult. High winds can also keep firefighting aircraft on the ground, hurting containment efforts. Urban communities in areas where strong winds are present face a much higher probability of wildfire.³

Strategies for Reducing Fire Risk

There are several approaches that urban areas can take to reduce the risk of wildfires, including wind driven fires. These strategies should include participation from private individuals and public entities.

• Determine which areas of a city are at a higher risk of wildfires.
• Use green infrastructure techniques to lower risk of wildfires, including fuel-reduction through removal or prescribed burns, and adding fire-resistant vegetation.
• Update building standards and codes to include wildfire-resistant materials and designs.
• Include wildfire-based policies in spatial planning to minimize urban sprawl and WUI expansion.⁴

Emergency Response Planning for Urban Wildfires

In areas more prone to urban fires, community leaders, fire departments, and individual property owners must plan for potential wildfires.

• Local leaders can develop Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPP). CWPPs are used to help communities create and implement strategies aimed at addressing the risk of and preparing for the possibility of wildfires.⁵
• Fire departments can offer a variety of helpful resources for the public to assist in planning and preparing for wildfires.
  • Emergency notification systems and evacuation routes should be established and clearly communicated to the public.
  • Departments can provide online resources to help local residents, including self-assessments, state and county guidelines, informational videos, tools to help prevent WUI fires, defensible space guides, wildfire preparedness checklists, virtual webinars, brochures, and links to other relevant resources.^6,7
  • Community-based services can include in-person speakers, and trained community leaders to further educate people and help them prepare for wildfires.^7,8

• Individual property owners can prepare their homes to be more wildfire resilient.
  • Structures can be updated with home hardening techniques and fire-resistant materials.
  • Areas surrounding the home, known as the Home Ignition Zone, should be addressed to increase the amount of defensible space.⁹

Fire Adapted Communities – Who Is Doing It Well?

Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network (FAC) provides a framework to assist communities in becoming more wildfire resilient. These communities acknowledge, accept responsibility for, and prepare for, the threat of wildland fire. Many stakeholders are involved, including property owners, elected officials, fire departments, neighborhood groups, planning agencies, emergency response, local government, and businesses. These individuals and groups need to actively engage in the process of creating and maintaining a FAC in order for it to be successful in protecting the community from wildfire.¹⁰

Areas around the country are successfully investing in wildfire mitigation practices and becoming Fire Adapted Communities. Successful examples include the New Jersey Pine Barrens; Indiana Dunes National Park; Winthrop, Washington; Yosemite West, California; Milburn, Utah; and Idyllwild-Pine Cove, California, among others.¹¹

Future of Smart Cities to Prevent and Detect Wildfires

Smart cities utilize technology to improve services and operations. Using technology can allow for an approach to fire service that is more data-driven, proactive, and faster. Data gathered from smart technology can provide insight on high-risk areas for fires, which helps in fire prevention and planning efforts.¹²

With new technology, smart cities can install fire and wind sensors that utilize Artificial Intelligence to detect wildfires as soon as they start. Smart sensors can detect heat, and determine when gas and smoke particles have been produced by a fire. The sensors communicate with one another, and alert fire officials if an issue is detected. In a previous trial of this technology, sensors alerted fire responders 37 minutes before a 911 call was received. This provides firefighters with a significant time advantage for both responding to wildfires, and evacuating communities. This technology is currently in place in Hawaii, with plans to expand testing to California, Arizona, Colorado, and Tennessee.¹³

Smart cameras and satellite monitoring can also be utilized in the detection and prevention of wildfires. AI technology can use satellite data, along with weather forecasts, elevation, and fuel to predict where and how a wildfire could spread. AI modeling can assist fire departments in preparing for and responding to wildfires.¹³