Chester Gap, VA
How exposed is Chester Gap to wildfire?
Chester Gap sits at the 59th 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 457 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 Chester Gap at the 57th percentile, close to its 59th-percentile risk score.
Chester Gap's building exposure, zone by zone
98.7% of Chester Gap's 457 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 451 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 1.3% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0% are Minimal.
Where Chester Gap ranks
There's little gap between Chester Gap's 59th national percentile and its 65th percentile inside Virginia, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Chester Gap ranks 13,001 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 18,141 by building count (1 is largest). Within Virginia alone, it ranks 237 of 681 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Virginia on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Chester Gap
Chester Gap's elevated rating (59th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
What would actually reduce this score
With 98.7% of Chester Gap 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.
Where Chester Gap's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 457 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Chester Gap. The exposure-zones guide covers what Chester Gap's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.