South Vacherie, LA
South Vacherie wildfire risk explained
South Vacherie sits at the 20th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 2,008 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts South Vacherie at the 20th percentile, close to its 20th-percentile risk score.
South Vacherie's building exposure, zone by zone
2,008 buildings are counted in South Vacherie, and 83.1% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 16.9% in Direct exposure or the 0% rated Minimal.
How South Vacherie compares
South Vacherie scores 20th nationally and 20th within Louisiana — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, South Vacherie ranks 25,179 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 7,456 by building count (1 is largest). Within Louisiana alone, it ranks 393 of 488 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Louisiana on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
South Vacherie's moderate rating (20th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Hardening a home in South Vacherie
South Vacherie's 83.1% Indirect-exposure share points at embers, not flame contact, as the main pathway — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing rank ahead of defensible space here. Detail in the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
South Vacherie's 20th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond South Vacherie, see the exposure-zones guide.