In California, a New Fight to Stop Building in the Path of Fire
The New York Times
A proposed luxury development in hills already scarred by wildfire is raising questions about the continued push to build in areas at highest risk.
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. — When Pat Donley learned about the proposed 16,000-acre luxury development that would border her ranch in the burn-scarred hills of Northern California, her mind raced back to the terrifying hour she spent in bumper-to-bumper traffic while fleeing the Valley fire in 2015, as a barrage of flames advanced down either side of the road.
After that narrow escape, Ms. Donley and her husband moved from their gated subdivision to a place that at least offered a less crowded escape: a remote ranch off a windy, narrow road in the hilly outskirts of Middletown, Calif.
So the news five years later that as many as 4,000 new people could be living along that two-lane canyon road seemed to her like a plan destined for disaster.
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