Azure, MT
Azure wildfire risk explained
USFS scores Azure at the 86th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally), a figure built from 89 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Azure's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 86th percentile nationally.
Azure's building exposure, zone by zone
Direct exposure dominates in Azure: 100% of its 89 buildings, versus 0% Indirect and 0% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
How Azure compares
Azure ranks lower within Montana (65th percentile statewide) than its 86th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Azure ranks 4,415 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 29,540 by building count (1 is largest). Within Montana alone, it ranks 167 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
Azure's very high rating (86th percentile) puts it among the places where the national carrier-pullback trend is most relevant — not a guarantee of a coverage problem, but a reason to shop rather than assume.
Hardening a home in Azure
Because Direct exposure dominates in Azure (100%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Azure's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Azure's 4,415-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Azure's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.