NEW YORK, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Lawmakers are calling on the U.S. state of California to expedite rules that some scientists and fire officials say may have helped mitigate the damage from Los Angeles' devastating wildfires, according to the Los Angeles Times.
"The idea is simple: by keeping the first 5 feet around a home clear of flammable vegetation, wooden fencing and debris, homeowners can reduce the risk of embers igniting their property -- and, with that, the chances of an urban conflagration, in which flames spread from structure to structure," noted the report.
The California Legislature in 2020 passed a bill requiring property owners in fire-prone areas to maintain so-called ember-resistant zones around their homes. The legislation tasked the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection with writing up rules governing exactly what this should look like by Jan. 1, 2023. But the board still hasn't done so, and doesn't yet have a firm timeline for when they'll be finished.
Asked why the rule-making is more than two years behind schedule, board executive officer Edith Hannigan responded with a statement saying the agency is still in the "pre-rule-making phase" of developing the standards and is focused on finding options for financial assistance and education to help people comply with them. Enditem
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