More houses in rural areas means higher firefighting costs

Fighting wildfires will continue to cost the government a billion dollars or more annually as more houses are built in wooded, rural areas, the nation’s top forestry official said Wednesday.

Agriculture Undersecretary Mark Rey said 8.4 million houses were built in wildfire-prone areas during the 1990s, complicating firefighting efforts and driving costs to a record $1.4 billion last year.

By MATTHEW BROWN
Associated Press Writer

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"Cultured Log Homes" Reinventing the fire resistant and energy efficient log home. http://matr.net/article-25200.html