In order to reduce the cost of future fires, it is imperative to understand the underlying causes. Climate change may cause warmer temperatures, but efficient and enforced land-use plans and building codes could prevent disasters such as the recent ones.
According to the Bloomberg Editors, simple measures, such as using more flame-resistant materials and keeping flammable trees and bushes farther away from homes could protect homes from fire hazards.
However, policies referring to zoning, building codes and planning are a more complicated issue and they require to get homeowners to adopt those often expensive practices.
"States and localities need stronger incentives to reduce the impact of these fires. That can mean rewarding states that pass intelligent zoning rules -- say, by tying those rules to federal forestry funds. It can also mean pushing harder to recover more of the money the federal government spends on firefighting," suggested the Bloomberg Editors.