Charlos Heights, MT
Charlos Heights wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Charlos Heights lands at the 97th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — a figure built from its 183 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Charlos Heights at the 98th national percentile — 1 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Charlos Heights's buildings actually sit
USFS classifies 96.7% of Charlos Heights's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 3.3% Indirect share and far above its 0% Minimal share — a profile where 177 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
Charlos Heights against the rest of the country
Charlos Heights's risk sits at a similar level relative to Montana (94th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (97th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Charlos Heights ranks 971 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 25,504 by building count (1 is largest). Within Montana alone, it ranks 29 of 475 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Montana on its state page.
Charlos Heights and the insurance market
At the 97th percentile nationally, Charlos Heights carries the very high rating that has pushed some carriers to limit new business in similarly-scored places elsewhere in the country. Worth comparing quotes rather than assuming last year's renewal terms still apply.
Hardening a home in Charlos Heights
Because Direct exposure dominates in Charlos Heights (96.7%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
Charlos Heights'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 direct exposure implies beyond Charlos Heights, see the exposure-zones guide.