Such a fire could be deadly for those residents and devastating to their property. It would also endanger the firefighters who must risk their lives trying to save homes from flames that leap up hillsides.

Besides their impact on individuals, such fires are also extremely expensive to fight. California has spent $285 million in just the past six weeks battling hundreds of blazes raging where fire defense is difficult.

The fact is, too many people are choosing to build homes in forests, on foothills and in canyons that are vulnerable to wildfire and where the price of firefighting is high in terms of both lives and dollars spent.

With California's wildfire budget already exhausted, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is positing an idea to help pay the costs of fighting future fires. Call it a fire fee, or, more accurately, a disaster surcharge, since it would apply to people who build in areas prone to fire, flood or earthquake.

Utah should pay attention, since wildfires are increasing in size, frequency and intensity here and throughout the West, partly because of persistent drought conditions attributed to climate change.

The concept being floated in California would place a 1.4 percent surcharge on insurance premiums on homes and commercial property built in disaster-prone areas. Residents of other areas would pay a 0.75 percent increase. The money would go to government agencies charged with fighting wildfires or rescuing people and property from floods or earthquakes.

We're not suggesting that Utah adopt Schwarzenegger's proposal, which is sketchy on details. But the idea of requiring people who choose to live where there is no "if" about the danger of fire or flood makes sense. It's the same logic behind fuel taxes that help pay for roads, and escalating water rates that are especially high for those who use more than a standard amount.

There are risks that can't be avoided. We all must share in the costs of fighting crime, quelling ordinary house fires, rescuing people from extreme weather. But when someone chooses to build on a flood plain or in a forest, the rest of us shouldn't have to pay the whole tab when the inevitable happens.