In light of the devasting Los Angeles wildfires, Santa Barbara is assessing its own risk factors.
"Fires will happen. They've happened in the past. They will happen in the future," said Alan Murray, Director of the UCSB Wildfire Resilience Initiative.
When asked if a fire event like the one in L.A. could happen in Santa Barbara, Murray responded, "Absolutely."
To evaluate risks, Murray's team looks at several data points from moisture levels, to population density, to fire hydrant locations. When asked about water pressure, he explained that the fire hydrant system in Santa Barbara is designed to tackle just a few structure fires at once.
"The idea that the system as a whole, all at once, is going to be able to respond at sufficient pressure, the system wasn't designed for that," Murray said.
To help mitigate wildfire risk, Murray says the entire community must take action to clear debris and make defensible space around buildings.
"We all have a role and if my neighbor ignores that role and their structure catches fire, I'm at risk," Murray said.
The Wildfire Resilience Initiative map also shows potentially difficult evacuation zones.
"What this is essential for is developing neighborhood-level evacuation plans," Murray said.
Neighborhoods like Isla Vista and El Encanto Heights with large populations but few roads could experience traffic jams in the event of an emergency.
UCSB student Maahir Shaheed says the L.A. fires have him planning ahead.
"Maybe just have like a backpack or something packed, just to be safe," Shaheed said.
For Murray, preparation is key.
"If we're not doing things beforehand, right, to mitigate the potential of these extreme out-of-control events, we're going to have big problems and we're going to see what played out in L.A. happen in other communities," Murray said.
