Seaside’s new fire hazard maps show severity of potential fires
SEASIDE, Calif. (KION) -- The city is looking to take proactive action steps after a report early last month deemed many new areas as high fire risk zones. Greg McDaniels, city manager, said they are looking to be proactive.
“Once the city obtains the transmittal letter, it starts the process of updating our local ordinances to put those areas into ordinances that are labeled both medium and high risk according to new fire maps,” McDaniels said.
Currently, the city is in a planning process, educating the community about the potential changes. Alex Miller, city councilmember, said these changes are in part due to the growth of the city.
“We developed a lot of land up there, and the land is now deemed as a possible fire hazard,” Miller said. “That has also led to there being more of a fire risk into our city. The residents on the top of General Jim More (Blvd.) are at more risk.”
Despite the Cal Fire recommendations, some Seaside locals I spoke to say they are not that concerned.
"There shouldn't be huge concerns about whether seaside or Monterey or Pacific Grove Pebble Beach, even though it's an actual forest or Carmel to be in a high-risk fire zone, there's nothing to support that data,” Parker Logan, who lives in Seaside, said.
Cal Fire writes that they have identified moderate, high, and very high fire risk zones. Others like Yvonne fear the high costs.
"This is very concerning. I grew up at Seaside, recently moved back, and live in Monterey and now Marina, but I've always wondered why it seems like a lot of the other cities in Monterey County get lots of funding to do lots of things, but Seaside seems to be the last,” she said.
Still, council member Miller said they are getting prepared to provide the necessary resources in hopes of mitigating fire danger. He said they have purchased a new fire engine and are working on constructing a new fire station.
"We need more resources for the formal Fort Ord,” Miller said. “We're developing Campus Town and Marina and they need fire services because our fire department's on Yosemite and Seaside and it takes at least five minutes for them to get to some parts of the former Ford Ord.”
