Ava, IL
How exposed is Ava to wildfire?
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Ava at the 42nd national percentile for risk to structures, modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a score built from 519 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Ava's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 45th percentile nationally.
Ava's building exposure, zone by zone
519 buildings are counted in Ava, and 84.4% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 15.6% in Direct exposure or the 0% rated Minimal.
Where Ava ranks
Within Illinois, Ava ranks higher (94th percentile) than it does nationally (42nd) — one of the more fire-exposed places in a state that, overall, scores lower than that. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Ava ranks 18,207 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 17,034 by building count (1 is largest). Within Illinois alone, it ranks 84 of 1,445 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Illinois on its state page.
Ava and the insurance market
Ava's elevated rating (42nd percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Hardening a home in Ava
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Ava (84.4% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Ava's figures come from
Ava's 42nd-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 Ava's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.