Chassell, MI
Chassell wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Chassell lands at the 43rd percentile for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 645 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Chassell at the 46th national percentile — 3 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Chassell's building exposure, zone by zone
Of Chassell's 645 counted buildings, 62.5% carry Direct exposure and only 0.6% carry Minimal — a lopsided split that puts defensible-space clearing ahead of vents or roofing as the intervention worth doing first.
How Chassell compares
Within Michigan, Chassell ranks higher (93rd percentile) than it does nationally (43rd) — one of the more fire-exposed places in a state that, overall, scores lower than that. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Chassell ranks 17,836 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 15,262 by building count (1 is largest). Within Michigan alone, it ranks 55 of 745 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Michigan on its state page.
Chassell and the insurance market
At the 43rd national percentile, Chassell rates elevated for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With 62.5% of Chassell in Direct exposure, defensible-space clearing and ember-resistant construction (vents, Class-A roofing) address the exposure this page's own numbers describe, not a generic checklist. See the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 645 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Chassell. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Chassell, see the exposure-zones guide.