New bill aims to bolster fight against wildfires in California

• The legislation comes after the Los Angeles County blazes in January were called one of the costliest wildfire events in U.S. history, with estimated damages reaching up to $131 billion.

State of play: Some highlights of the Fix Our Forests Act — sponsored by Sens. John Curtis (R-Utah), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) —are :

• Reducing wildfire risks in certain areas with more cross-boundary collaboration.
• Creating an interagency program to help communities build wildfire-resistant measures.
• Increasing research to test and utilize wildfire prevention technologies.

Between the lines: This Senate bill builds on the forest management bill sponsored by Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA) that the U.S. House overwhelmingly passed in January.

By the numbers: So far this year, Cal Fire has responded to 653 incidents that have burned nearly 60,000 acres, killed 30 people and destroyed more than 16,250 structures.

• 10 of those were in San Diego County, including January's Border 2 Fire that burned for nearly a week and charred over 6,600 acres near Otay Mesa.

• 95% of California wildfires are caused by people, per Cal Fire.

What they're saying: As the state faces more frequent and catastrophic wildfires, this bill "prioritizes building fire-resilient communities, accelerating the removal of hazardous fuels, and strengthening coordination across federal, state, and tribal agencies, including through the creation of the first-ever National Wildfire Intelligence Center," Sen. Padilla said in a statement.