The late summer heatwave and subsequent wildfires have devastated communities large and small up and down the West Coast, but a new study out from Redfin and ClimateCheck finds that more and more homes are being built in disaster-prone areas.
Some 55 percent of homes built so far this decade face fire risk, while 45 percent face drought risk. By comparison, just 14 percent of homes built from 1900-1959 face fire risk and 37 percent face drought risk.
New homes are also more likely than older homes to face heat and flood risk, but the gap is largest when it comes to fire and drought.
Heat is the most common danger, with nearly 100 percent of homes constructed in the last two years at risk. According to the report, heat risk is based on the number of extremely hot days expected in the future.
Heat risk is followed by severe storms (78 percent), fire (55 percent), drought (45 percent) and flood (25 percent). Storm is the only risk more likely to plague older homes, as many of the country’s old homes are located in the storm-prone Northeast.
Here out west, the Wildland Urban Interface—parts of the country where houses are close to wildland vegetation—is the fastest growing land-use type in America, with roughly one-third of homes falling in its boundaries. California and Texas have the greatest number of homes in the WUI.