Central, CO
How exposed is Central to wildfire?
Central sits at the 97th 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 425 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 Central at the 96th percentile, close to its 97th-percentile risk score.
Where Central's buildings actually sit
50.8% of Central's 425 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 49.2% Direct and 0% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone.
Where Central ranks
Central scores 97th nationally and 90th within Colorado — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Central ranks 810 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 18,742 by building count (1 is largest). Within Colorado alone, it ranks 49 of 472 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Colorado on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Central
Central's very high rating (97th percentile) puts it among the places where the national carrier-pullback trend is most relevant — not a guarantee of a coverage problem, but a reason to shop rather than assume.
Hardening a home in Central
Central's 50.8% 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
Central's 97th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Central, see the exposure-zones guide.