The wooded hills that separate Berkeley from Orinda didn’t burn during the October 1991 firestorm that killed 25 people and destroyed more than 3,000 homes. But the similarities in terrain, vegetation and encroaching homes have put it in the bullseye of Gov. Gavin Newsom and state fire experts as an area at very high risk of wildfire.

Newsom, along with Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín and Cal Fire Director Thom Porter, gathered Tuesday in Tilden Regional Park to outline priorities for brush and creating fire breaks to lessen the fire danger in 35 areas around the state, including the nearby North Orinda Fuel Break. Artificial fuel, or fire, breaks are created by removing dead trees and clearing underbrush in an effort to control the spread of fires.

The focus on trying to prevent fires before they begin comes after two years of costly, deadly blazes across the state, including November’s Camp Fire in Butte County that killed 85 people and nearly destroyed the town of Paradise. Last year’s wildfires caused at least $12.4 billion in insurance losses, said state Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara in January.

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