Big Water, UT
How exposed is Big Water to wildfire?
Big Water sits at the 34th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 485 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Big Water's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 31st percentile nationally.
Big Water's building exposure, zone by zone
Indirect exposure is dominant in Big Water (67.2% of 485 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 32.8% sit in the Direct zone.
How Big Water compares
Big Water's 34th national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 3rd ranking inside Utah does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 32 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Big Water ranks 20,691 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 17,624 by building count (1 is largest). Within Utah alone, it ranks 317 of 326 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Utah on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Big Water's moderate rating (34th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Big Water'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.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 485 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Big Water. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Big Water, see the exposure-zones guide.