Todd Danielson, Informed Infrastructure’s editorial director, interviewed Joe Demers, P..E., Civil Engineer at Alpha Structural.

They discussed in detail the dangers of urban wildfires, including signs of high-risk areas and building materials. Demers explained how engineers can help make areas and structures more resilient to wildfire as well as the hidden dangers still present after a fire emergency appears to be over. In hillside communities, post-fire structural concerns can become even more serious due to erosion, slope movement and future mudslide risk after vegetation burns away.