Enforce rules, reduce fires

Re “Region’s new homes lining up in fires’ path,” Nov. 11

This article about where homes are built blames new subdivisions, which were easier to defend and suffered less damage than older homes in the recent fires. As The Times pointed out in the article, “Why some averted disaster” (Oct. 24), new code changes and building materials have made such communities more fire-resistant than ever before. If local government stopped building homes in potentially dangerous areas, we wouldn’t allow construction anywhere in the Golden State. That’s not reality.

What is reality is that while new building codes are in place, defensible-space rules are not being adequately enforced and the amount of combustible materials in nearby wild lands is unnaturally high, creating a virtual tinderbox around communities. Without addressing these facts, no community can survive the types of fires that we’ve seen in recent years.

Robert Rivinius

President, chief executive

California Building

Industry Assn.

Sacramento