Nevada City is among ten cities and towns highlighted in a newspaper company series as having the potential to be the next Paradise and extremely vulnerable to a catastrophic wildfire. The McClatchy company, which owns the Sacramento Bee and 28 other newspapers, has identified more than 75 municipalities where at least 90-percent of residents live within the Cal Fire “very high fire hazard severity zone”. Grass Valley Fire Chief Mark Buttron says he’s not sure it’s fair to single out Nevada City. He says this area’s topography is significantly different than Paradise, which was leveled by the Camp Fire last November…

Buttron also points out that Paradise was more isolated, with fewer access routes for fire agencies. He says Nevada City and Grass Valley have more agencies nearby with a quicker response. But he agrees that the closeness to dense wooded areas, steep hillsides, narrow streets, and ancient homes place Nevada City, as well as Grass Valley, at a higher-than-normal risk. He says he’s glad to see the state ramping up fuel reduction efforts this year…

iButtron says recent changes in municipal codes have also given fire departments more authority to reduce the danger on properties.