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When many in California talk about this year\u2019s wildfires, they describe the color \u2014 the apocalyptic, ominous, red-orange glow in the sky.\n\nThe state\u2019s current wildfires have seen two and a half million acres already burned.\n\nClimate change has made conditions ripe for fires: Temperatures are higher and the landscape drier. But the destruction has also become more acute because of the number of homes that are built on the wildland-urban interface \u2014 where development meets wild vegetation.\n\nThe pressures of California\u2019s population have meant that towns are encouraged to build in high-risk areas. And when a development is ravaged by a fire, it is often rebuilt, starting the cycle of destruction over again.\n\nToday, we explore the practice of building houses in fire zones and the role insurance companies could play in disrupting this cycle.\xa0\n\nGuest: Christopher Flavelle, who covers the impact of global warming on people, governments and industries for The New York Times.\xa0\n\nFor more information on today\u2019s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily\n\nBackground reading:\xa0\u201cPeople are always asking, \u2018Is this the new normal?\u2019\u201d a climate scientist said. \u201cI always say no. It\u2019s going to get worse.\u201d If climate change was an abstract notion a decade ago, today it is all too real for Californians.Research suggests that most Americans support restrictions on building homes in fire- or flood-prone areas.