Big Creek, WV
Big Creek wildfire risk explained
Big Creek sits at the 91st 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 111 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Big Creek's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 93rd percentile nationally.
Where Big Creek's buildings actually sit
USFS classifies 76.6% of Big Creek's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 23.4% Indirect share and far above its 0% Minimal share — a profile where 85 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
Big Creek against the rest of the country
Big Creek scores 91st nationally and 83rd within West Virginia — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Big Creek ranks 2,947 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 28,613 by building count (1 is largest). Within West Virginia alone, it ranks 72 of 429 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for West Virginia on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Big Creek
At the 91st percentile nationally, Big Creek 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.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With 76.6% of Big Creek in Direct exposure, defensible-space clearing and ember-resistant construction (vents, Class-A roofing) address the exposure this page's own numbers describe, not a generic checklist. See the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
Big Creek's 91st-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Big Creek, see the exposure-zones guide.