Belva, WV
Belva wildfire risk explained
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Belva at the 94th national percentile for risk to structures, in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — a score built from 69 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Belva's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 95th percentile nationally.
Belva's building exposure, zone by zone
Indirect exposure is dominant in Belva (68.1% of 69 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 31.9% sit in the Direct zone.
Belva against the rest of the country
Belva's risk sits at a similar level relative to West Virginia (95th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (94th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Belva ranks 1,811 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 30,339 by building count (1 is largest). Within West Virginia alone, it ranks 21 of 429 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for West Virginia on its state page.
Belva and the insurance market
At the 94th percentile nationally, Belva carries the very high rating that has pushed some carriers to limit new business in similarly-scored places elsewhere in the country. Worth comparing quotes rather than assuming last year's renewal terms still apply.
Hardening a home in Belva
Because 68.1% of Belva's buildings sit in the Indirect zone, sealing the ember pathway (vents, roofing, gutters) is the intervention this page's data actually supports — see the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 69 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Belva. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Belva, see the exposure-zones guide.