When the Palisades Fire destroyed the historic Will Rogers Ranch House in Los Angeles and the Dragon Bravo wildfire later claimed the nearly century-old Grand Canyon Lodge, the losses extended beyond buildings. They erased pieces of American history that cannot simply be rebuilt. Now, a new nationwide analysis suggests those disasters are not isolated events. More than half of the 100,117 places listed on the National Register of Historic Places are exposed to wildfire, with 3,446 classified as facing severe wildfire danger. Researchers say it is the first national-scale assessment to measure wildfire risk to America’s cultural heritage, revealing that many of the country’s most treasured landmarks are increasingly vulnerable as fires grow more destructive, according to the Scientific Reports study by researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara’s National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS).
Get breaking news anytime, anywhere. Download the TOI app now!
