Big Island, VA
How exposed is Big Island to wildfire?
Big Island's 245 buildings earn a 57th-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Big Island at the 58th national percentile — 1 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Big Island's buildings actually sit
245 buildings are counted in Big Island, and 65.7% of them sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone — flame contact, not just ember cast, is the live possibility for most of them, against 0% rated Minimal.
Where Big Island ranks
Big Island scores 57th nationally and 63rd within 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 Island ranks 13,506 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 23,319 by building count (1 is largest). Within Virginia alone, it ranks 250 of 681 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Virginia on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 57th national percentile, Big Island rates elevated for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Hardening a home in Big Island
Big Island's 65.7% Direct-exposure share means lot clearing around the structure typically outweighs any single material upgrade here. The home-hardening guide ranks the options for a place shaped like this.
Where Big Island's figures come from
Big Island's 57th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Big Island's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.