Big Stone Colony, MT
Big Stone Colony wildfire risk explained
Big Stone Colony sits at the 49th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 58 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Big Stone Colony's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 48th percentile nationally.
Big Stone Colony's building exposure, zone by zone
Indirect exposure is dominant in Big Stone Colony (67.2% of 58 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 32.8% sit in the Direct zone.
Big Stone Colony against the rest of the country
Inside Montana, Big Stone Colony sits at just the 12th percentile even though it scores 49th nationally — the state's overall wildfire exposure is high enough to make this a relatively quiet corner of it. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Big Stone Colony ranks 16,072 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 30,713 by building count (1 is largest). Within Montana alone, it ranks 416 of 475 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Montana on its state page.
Big Stone Colony and the insurance market
Big Stone Colony's elevated rating (49th 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 Big Stone Colony
Big Stone Colony's 67.2% 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 Big Stone Colony's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 58 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Big Stone Colony. The exposure-zones guide covers what Big Stone Colony's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.