The Utah Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands has released a digital map that shows which areas have a high risk of wildfire and may face additional property taxes under House Bill 48.
Earlier this year, the Utah state legislature passed H.B. 48, which is meant to help mitigate fires that occur in high-risk Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) areas. WUI areas tend to have more devastating wildfires because the fires threaten human infrastructure and lives due to the urban proximity to wildland areas.
Ongoing fires can spread embers that ignite nearby structures. Those structures can also ignite from direct flame contact and radiant heat. In Utah, wildfires like the Forsyth Fire, which destroyed 17 homes, pose considerable risk to existing infrastructure and are likely to be a growing threat.
