Santa Clara County Fire presents new LRA fire-hazard severity maps, outlines local impacts and timeline

Santa Clara County Fire Assistant Chief Hector Estrada told the Cupertino City Council on April 15 that the state—9s updated Local Responsibility Area (LRA) fire hazard severity maps, released to local governments in February 2025, require cities to post the maps for public comment and adopt them locally by June 24, 2025.

Estrada said the maps classify areas as moderate, high or very high based on modeled fire behavior and factors including vegetation, slope and historic winds. He emphasized that the maps identify hazard under existing conditions rather than the later, controllable measure known as "risk." "The maps are primarily focused on identifying fire hazard," Estrada said, adding that steps such as home hardening and defensible space can reduce risk even in high-hazard zones.

The assistant chief outlined the maps' legal and technical background: early statewide mapping was prompted by the 1980 Panorama fire and later by…