Bolivar, WV
Bolivar wildfire risk explained
Bolivar sits at the 52nd 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 470 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Bolivar at the 51st percentile, close to its 52nd-percentile risk score.
Bolivar's building exposure, zone by zone
Indirect exposure is dominant in Bolivar (74.3% of 470 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 25.7% sit in the Direct zone.
How Bolivar compares
Bolivar's risk sits at a similar level relative to West Virginia (40th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (52nd) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Bolivar ranks 15,051 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 17,887 by building count (1 is largest). Within West Virginia alone, it ranks 259 of 429 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for West Virginia on its state page.
Bolivar and the insurance market
Bolivar's elevated rating (52nd 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 Bolivar
Bolivar's 74.3% 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 Bolivar's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Bolivar's 15,051-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Bolivar's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.