Basalt, CO
Basalt wildfire risk explained
Basalt sits at the 87th 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 1,237 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Basalt's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 81st percentile nationally.
Where Basalt's buildings actually sit
Indirect exposure is dominant in Basalt (83.1% of 1,237 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 16.9% sit in the Direct zone.
How Basalt compares
Basalt ranks lower within Colorado (69th percentile statewide) than its 87th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Basalt ranks 4,150 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 10,426 by building count (1 is largest). Within Colorado alone, it ranks 149 of 472 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Colorado on its state page.
Basalt and the insurance market
Basalt's very high rating (87th 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.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Basalt's 83.1% Indirect-exposure share points at embers, not flame contact, as the main pathway — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing rank ahead of defensible space here. Detail in the home-hardening guide.
Where Basalt's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Basalt's 4,150-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Basalt's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.