Analysis: Low-income, elderly or disabled residents could be hit harder by wildfires

Many areas in California live with the threat of wildfires. But communities with a large number of people who are low-income, immobile and elderly may be particularly susceptible to devastation.

While 75 communities across California face severe risk of wildfires, this map by the nonprofit Direct Relief highlights areas facing additional challenges because its residents are disabled or economically disadvantaged.

The analysis used findings from The Sacramento Bee's "Destined to Burn" series and combined it with data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Social Vulnerability Index.

The Center for Disease Control's Social Vulnerability Index includes five elements of wildfire risk: percent of people living below the poverty line, percent of people aged 65 years or older, percent of housing in structures with 10 or more units, percent of households with no vehicles and percent of non-institutionalized residents with a disability.

The map allows users to search for a specific address to gauge the level of wildfire hazard potential and click on communities to learn about their social vulnerabilities. For more information on emergency preparedness, visit Cal Fire's Ready for Wildfire website here.

Click through the gallery above to see how vulnerable some Northern California communities are, according to the analysis.