Environmental groups have been arguing in California courts that developers are not fully considering the risks of wildfire and choked evacuation routes when they plan their housing developments near fire-prone areas.
And they've been winning.
The lawsuits center on housing at the edge of forests and brush, called the wildland-urban interface.
Experts say such litigation could become more common.
But builders say the concern about evacuation routes is a cover for anti-sprawl activists.