Start, LA
Start wildfire risk explained
Start's 592 buildings earn a 33rd-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Start at the 33rd percentile, close to its 33rd-percentile risk score.
Where Start's buildings actually sit
69.1% of Start's 592 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 409 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 22.5% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 8.5% are Minimal.
Where Start ranks
There's little gap between Start's 33rd national percentile and its 32nd percentile inside Louisiana, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Start ranks 21,142 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 15,937 by building count (1 is largest). Within Louisiana alone, it ranks 333 of 488 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Louisiana on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Start
Start's moderate wildfire rating (33rd percentile) isn't the kind of score driving the carrier pullback making news in the highest-risk Western markets — but a standard homeowners quote is still worth comparing on its own terms.
What would actually reduce this score
Because Direct exposure dominates in Start (69.1%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Start's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 592 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Start. The exposure-zones guide covers what Start's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.