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The island needs roughly 4,900 more homes by 2027, according to the 2024 Hawai‘i Housing Planning Study . Wind-blown embers, which can travel for over a mile, are the main reason why wildfires spread and ignite structures, according to the National Fire Protection Association. “We get the 30 mile an hour wind or higher and they’re going to start driving the heat, the flame, the embers anywhere,” Gibson said, adding, “it’s just going to go house to house at that point.” Under Bill 2998, new homes, as well as renovated portions of homes that add square footage, would need to install at least 6 inches of metal flashings, cement or other noncombustible material at the intersections where exterior walls connect to the ground, decking and roof.
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