Hessmer, LA
How exposed is Hessmer to wildfire?
USFS scores Hessmer at the 54th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (modestly above the national average for wildfire risk), a figure built from 534 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Hessmer at the 55th national percentile — 2 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
534 buildings are counted in Hessmer, and 66.3% of them sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone — flame contact, not just ember cast, is the live possibility for most of them, against 0% rated Minimal.
Where Hessmer ranks
There's little gap between Hessmer's 54th national percentile and its 64th percentile inside Louisiana, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Hessmer ranks 14,623 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 16,812 by building count (1 is largest). Within Louisiana alone, it ranks 176 of 488 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Louisiana on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Hessmer
At the 54th national percentile, Hessmer rates elevated for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Hardening a home in Hessmer
With 66.3% of Hessmer in Direct exposure, defensible-space clearing and ember-resistant construction (vents, Class-A roofing) address the exposure this page's own numbers describe, not a generic checklist. See the home-hardening guide.
Where Hessmer's figures come from
Hessmer's 54th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Hessmer's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.