According to a recent report, over 2.6 million residences in 14 states face a moderate to severe threat of wildfire damage in the upcoming 2024 wildfire season, with an estimated total rebuilding cost of $1.3 trillion.
The 2024 CoreLogic Wildfire Risk Report revealed that the western United States faces the highest wildfire threat, with California, Colorado, and Texas accounting for 70% of that risk.
The report from a catastrophe modeling and property data company located in Irvine, California, identifies the states with the greatest number of homes facing moderate to high risk of wildfire exposure.
The increased risk in those regions was primarily attributed to the significant number of houses located in unbuilt areas, or those situated near the Wildland-Urban Interface.
Out of the 15 metropolitan regions with the highest wildfire risk, ten are located in California, with the state claiming the top four spots.
The Los Angeles metro region topped the country in terms of the highest count of homes vulnerable to wildfires, with over 245,000 residences valued at a total of $186.6 billion facing a moderate or higher risk. Following closely were Riverside (210,859 homes), San Diego (138,600 homes), and Sacramento (100,814 homes).
Austin, with a population of 94,673, and San Antonio, which has 78,207 residents, are two cities in Texas identified among the metropolitan areas facing the highest risk of wildfire damage.
According to the report, over 2.6 million individuals are considered to be at moderate or higher risk, while 1.2 million residences face a significant threat from wildfires.
