Alzada, MT
Alzada, MT's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Alzada sits at the 88th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 81 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Alzada's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 87th percentile nationally.
Where Alzada's buildings actually sit
Direct exposure dominates in Alzada: 92.6% of its 81 buildings, versus 7.4% Indirect and 0% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
Alzada against the rest of the country
Alzada ranks lower within Montana (71st percentile statewide) than its 88th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Alzada ranks 3,849 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 29,853 by building count (1 is largest). Within Montana alone, it ranks 139 of 475 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Montana on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Alzada's 88th-percentile, very high rating is the kind of score behind a broader national pattern: insurers pulling back from the highest wildfire-risk markets, non-renewing or declining new policies outright, most visibly in California. Shopping around, not assuming automatic renewal, tends to matter here.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Alzada's 92.6% Direct-exposure share means lot clearing around the structure typically outweighs any single material upgrade here. The home-hardening guide ranks the options for a place shaped like this.
Where Alzada's figures come from
Alzada's 88th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Alzada's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.