Wildfire Zones: Fresno vs Selma

Most of Fresno is outside CAL FIRE Fire Hazard Severity Zones, but the San Joaquin River bluffs, Woodward Park edges, and northeast hillside areas near Copper and Friant Roads include Moderate to High LRA Fire Hazard Severity Zones under the 2024 CAL FIRE map update. Properties in these zones trigger AB 38 defensible space and disclosure requirements.

Selma is located on the flat agricultural floor of the Central Valley in Fresno County and is not designated as a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone (VHFHSZ) by CAL FIRE. The city sits at approximately 300 feet elevation on level terrain surrounded by irrigated farmland, placing it well outside the foothill and mountain areas of eastern Fresno County where wildfire risk is concentrated. Because Selma falls within a Local Responsibility Area (LRA) rather than a State Responsibility Area (SRA), the more stringent wildfire building standards and defensible space requirements that apply to wildland-urban interface communities do not apply here. The Selma Fire Department provides structural fire protection for the city's approximately 24,000 residents across six square miles and follows the California Fire Code as adopted locally, but wildfire-specific regulations such as PRC 4291 defensible space mandates, AB 3074 extended defensible space zones, and Chapter 7A WUI building standards are not applicable within Selma city limits. Standard urban fire safety codes, property maintenance requirements, and building construction standards provide the fire protection framework for Selma properties.