Murrieta Fire Shares Important Updates Regarding 2025 Fire Severity Zone Maps

Murrieta Fire & Rescue is actively informing property owners within the City of Murrieta about the recently released updated Fire Hazard Severity Zone (FHSZ) maps for 2025. These maps, released by the California's Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) on March 24, 2025, reflect the latest assessments of wildfire risk within Local Responsibility Areas (LRAs).

The California Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) solely creates and regulates the Fire Hazard Severity Zone maps. While Murrieta Fire & Rescue did not develop these maps and has no authority to alter or regulate them, our priority is to ensure that our community is well-informed about these critical changes and their potential impact.

Key changes outlined in the updated maps include:

• Modifications to the geographical boundaries of the Fire Hazard Severity Zones.
• Properties located within the Very High FHSZ will now be required to maintain 100 feet of defensible space.
• All new construction within designated Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) areas must adhere to specific WUI building codes designed to enhance fire resistance and safety.
• Property sellers are now mandated to disclose the FHSZ status of their property to potential buyers.

Murrieta Fire & Rescue strongly encourages all residents and business owners to review the proposed updated maps, which can be accessed here: https://bit.ly/43zvmVK.

Additionally, Murrieta Fire offers an opportunity for public comment on these proposed changes. All comments must be submitted before April 23, 2025, via the following link: https://bit.ly/4i13Cgi.

Murrieta Fire & Rescue has taken proactive steps to disseminate this vital information to the public through updates to our website and posts on our social media platforms. We urge our community to utilize the provided resources to understand how these updated maps may impact their properties and to participate in the public comment process.

In addition to adhering to defensible space requirements, Murrieta Fire & Rescue emphasizes the importance of home-hardening strategies as essential measures in safeguarding homes against the threat of wildfires.