ESG & Investing

Pandemic Housing Boom Puts More US Buyers in Path of Wildfires

US buyers who fled big cities are pushing up property prices in areas at high risk of burning.

Flames engulf a home as it burns along Highway 128 during the Kincade fire in Healdsburg, California, in Oct. 2019.Photographer: Phil Pacheco/Bloomberg
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Americans looking for larger properties during the pandemic are moving to rural towns and suburbs — and driving up the price of homes with high fire risk.

The median sale price of US homes with high fire risk was $550,500 in April, compared with $431,300 for homes with low fire risk, according to a recent report from Redfin.