Next 10 in the News

Millions of Californians are at risk of losing their homes to wildfire. When tragedy strikes, people often rebuild in the same risky places, according to researchers at UC Berkeley and Next 10, a nonprofit think tank, who are urging California policymakers to rethink how communities are rebuilt after destructive wildfires.

The scenery is breathtaking — rolling hills, steep canyons and stately vineyards, a pastoral landscape ruled by cattle, sheep and the occasional coyote. But there are also grim markers of the worst wildfire season in modern California history, in the form of blackened oaks and pines.

California state and local officials are encouraging rebuilding in areas destroyed by wildfires at a time when people should be redirected away from those areas if the state wants to reduce the economic and human impact of increasingly destructive wildfires, according to a report published Thursday.

California risks an escalating spiral of wildfire catastrophes and rising housing costs unless it completely revamps how it rebuilds after fires and finds ways to discourage building in high-risk areas, according to a study released on Thursday.

Last year, California experienced five of the six largest fires in the state’s history. The dynamics in the housing market mean that history could repeat itself

A new study finds public policy around wildfires in California needs to change in order to keep people and property safe.

University of California, Berkeley researchers are urging state officials to avoid rebuilding homes in areas destroyed by wildfires, saying it will keep homeowners out of harm's way. But some people say it’s not as easy as it sounds.