Some thoughts on fire tech and insurance on an anniversary that reminds us why they both matter.

From American public media, this is Marketplace Tech. I'm Lily Jammale. Today marks five years since the deadliest fire in California history. In one

morning the campfire sparked on power lines belonging to the utility PG&E

killing at least 85 people and

destroying 90% of homes in the town of Paradise.

Fire survivor Karen Goings says the town is being rebuilt rebuilt but a lot more slowly than she'd hoped would be the case.

People are trying to get stuck in desperately, but there are still people living in trailers and camping out, going back to paradise before the

fires is going to be very, very difficult if not impossible.

The scale of destruction from camp and other catastrophic fires left a lot of people wondering

how to stop the next one, or at least slow it down even as year after year the fires keep

happening. Back in 2020 I took a ride on an e-bike through the Maraga

Arinda Fire District.

Chief Dave Winnaker showed me around the area

just northeast of Oakland where a lot of the landscape

is at risk of fire.

So we're going to go to the right, through the gap there?

We stopped to meet John Katowski.

After do, how are you guys?

Whose home is situated on a hill in the district.

Look where we live.

You know, there's 6,800 acres behind us and that's part of 22,000 acres.

And if a fire starts down there, it'll come up here really fast.

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