For Immediate Release, February 25, 2021 Contact: Report: Sprawl in Fire-prone Areas Endangers Californians, Increases Damages, Fire-suppression Costs ‘Built to Burn’ Calls for State Law to Limit Construction in High Fire-risk Wildlands LOS ANGELES— As California lawmakers consider a bill that would limit sprawl development in blaze-prone areas, a new report highlights how rampant construction in high fire-risk wildlands is putting more people in harm’s way and contributing to a dramatic increase in costs associated with fire suppression and damages. Built to Burn, released today by the Center for Biological Diversity, notes that if current land-use practices continue, between 640,000 and 1.2 million new homes could be built in the state’s highest wildfire-risk areas by 2050. Nearly all contemporary wildfires in California are caused by human sources such as power lines and electrical equipment, and development increases that threat.