As more homeowners get dropped by insurance companies, the Moraga-Orinda Fire District will consider an ordinance that would require residents to have defensible space around their homes.
Also referred to as Zone Zero, the ordinance would require residents in the fire district to get rid of all flammable vegetation and material within 5 feet of their homes.
That includes uprooting plants and grass, wood fencing and any other combustible materials. The idea is to reduce the likelihood that embers from a nearby fire land in flammable material
Orinda Mayor Darlene Gee said enforcing such an ordinance might get some backlash. But, she adds, there is data outside of the country that suggests it works. Research shows that ember resistant zones work best when more than 30% of homes on a block comply.
The proposed ordinance would be some of the most stringest rules to protect homes from wildfire risk, with the goal of getting insurance carriers back.
Earlier this year, California’s largest insurer, State Farm, announced it would not renew tens of thousands of residential policies in the state, mostly due to fire risk.
South Lake Tahoe adopted a similar 5-foot rule for its city of 21,000 residents.
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The next fire district meeting is on Nov. 20.
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