Bethel, ME
Bethel wildfire risk explained
Bethel sits at the 8th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 544 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Bethel at the 7th national percentile — 0 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
544 buildings are counted in Bethel, and 53.7% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 46.3% in Direct exposure or the 0% rated Minimal.
How Bethel compares
There's little gap between Bethel's 8th national percentile and its 21st percentile inside Maine, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Bethel ranks 29,152 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 16,655 by building count (1 is largest). Within Maine alone, it ranks 121 of 155 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Maine on its state page.
Bethel and the insurance market
Bethel's low rating (8th 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 Bethel
Bethel's 53.7% 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 Bethel's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 544 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Bethel. The exposure-zones guide covers what Bethel's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.