I would have cut back the vegetation, whether it’s legal or not.
Some years back, somewhere in California, homeowners received letters from the state of California and from a federal agency.
One letter said NOT to cut the brush near their home because of the endangered kangaroo rat. The other letter said it was OK to cut the brush. Only one homeowner cut back the brush. The others did not.
Eventually, there was a brush fire, and every home was destroyed except one...the guy who cut back the brush.
I was upset when I heard the news about the home of Johnny Mathis.
When we lived in Northern CA,local firefighters told us they always try to save the house whose owners made the effort to cut back brush. We always did this.
I’d have set out rat traps.