The City of Santa Maria is seeking public input on a new fire severity map. For the first time, the state has designated parts of the city as fire hazard risk areas.
Cal Fire updated its fire severity map, which is over a decade old. The agency classified two areas in Santa Maria as moderate fire hazard– the lowest of three levels, including high and very high.
Santa Maria Fire Marshal Jim Austin said Cal Fire bases these designations on factors such as weather and terrain.
“They can take the average winds and then the typical winds that we experience– including the Santa Anas– and based on the type of vegetation and the slope topography, they can determine how far an ember can travel,” Austin said.
The newly designated moderate fire hazard areas include the area near the riverbed in the northeast part of the city and the airport in the southwest.
Austin said despite the new classification, the city's fire risk management rules for buildings and vegetation in these areas will remain the same.
Residents can submit comments on the fire map by contacting Fire Marshal Jim Austin at jaustin@cityofsantamaria.org or by phone at (805) 925-0951 extension 1578.
The city has 120 days to adopt the designated zones by ordinance.
