There is no simple answer for California’s wild fires. The Kommunist Republik is just too diverse. And different fire authorities have different approaches. As a former Volunteer, I respect CalFire. Except when the air support all gets sent to Gavin and Nancy’s wineries.
Far North and the Sierras have mountainous tree covered forests. Fires here have been like Paradise, devastating. No longer having logging or firebreaks only continues to add to the fires.
SoCal is basically a desert. Low scrub, rigorous terrain adds to this. LA county takes the approach of let it burn and we will save property as we can. More acreage burned means more $$$ in aid. I watched them lose a Reservoir across the street that they were choppering water out of. But, they stopped the fire at the property lines of houses across the street.
Then you get to the area I now live. Hilly terrain with grasslands and 300 yr old oaks. Cattle country.
Last year, I watched 3 lightning strike fires N, W, and S of me, 2-3 miles away. I had time to pack the vehicles, run the box scraper around the homestead area, and fill every water trough I had for the animals that I put into the most barren fields with the hay I had.
I thought I was in the middle of a perfect storm. When a CalFire spotter came up and was going use our ranch as first line of defense for the other 12 ranches, I said help yourself, here are the keys to the tractor if you need it.
After that experience, I have had my 4 legged lawnmowers rotating around clearing 10 Acres around the house. I have my sprayer filled with water in the barn and only have to add PhosChek and dye to put a barrier down. Takes me the hour that I ran the box scraper.
But my big thing positive about being here, the 300 yr old oaks. They have survived any past fires. They have survived past droughts. And if one succumbs, I have firewood for 10 years.