In Mill Valley, Fire Battalion Chief Michael St. John spends every day walking through terrain where fire has burned again and again.
That it hasn't happened here since 1929 worries him.
"So we lost 100 homes in 1929 and in the same footprint, today, we would have a thousand homes lost." In hilly, thickly forested with narrow streets Mill Valley, fire is always in the back of residents' minds.
"I know if a fire starts and goes over the ridge top, Mill Valley is toast," said one resident.
All true in this city where three of every four homes sit on a wildfire urban interface.
In response, the City Council made a bold move, last night, with a three-year plan requiring residents to hardscape the areas around their homes, and remove fire-prone, ornamental plants like bamboo, acacia, and junipers.