Architecture Committee: February 2025

ARCHITECTURE COMMITTEE
Fire Hazards—Could it happen here? The heart wrench-
ing scenes of devastating fires in the southland weigh heavily on everyone’s mind now. It would be foolish of us to assume that our community is not vulnerable to the same fate. It is indeed startling to see how a brush fire can quickly move through a neighborhood and leap from house to house.
The binary wet/dry climate cycle of Southern California creates the perfect environment for fire. Rain in the winter feeds the growth of sage and chaparral on our surrounding hills. The dry summer heat turns much of that into kindling— the perfect fuel for a wildfire.
Although our community is not adjacent to a canyon, we live on a windy bluff ready to receive burning embers sent from miles away. Next time you drive down Stonehill Road or Crown Valley Parkway, take notice of the dry biofuel on vari- ous hillsides. Please take time now to inventory any possible fire hazard your home and its surroundings may pose.
Wood Roofs, Dry Foliage—The first area you might check is your roof. For the past several years the Archi- tecture Committee has focused on assisting our residents with roof replacement and we now have less than 40 wood shakes remaining. In the 1970’s and 80’s these were a pop- ular design element. Now fire departments and fire tech- nology experts have classified wood shake roofs as a pri- mary hazard. Replacing your wood shingle roof, enclosing wooden eaves and removing trees nestled against your house must be priorities for your protection and that of your family and neighbors.
Over time, the elements of Southern California weather cause wooden shingles, exposed beams and trees or shrub- bery to dry out, creating kindling for the tiny embers expelled by a fire source. Most multi structure fires occur during peri- ods of Santa Ana winds which send out thousands of tiny embers, only one of which is necessary to ignite wood fuel.
Insurance carriers are now cancelling homeowner poli- cies and refusing to write new coverage in California. One way we can protect ourselves from this is by eliminating potential fire hazards. A good safety practice is to survey the area around your home, remove dry foliage or adjacent wooden structures and have your roof inspected every 5 years regardless of its composition. Let’s keep Niguel Shores pro-
tected and safe!
—Mike Stively