Chunchula, AL
How exposed is Chunchula to wildfire?
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Chunchula at the 90th national percentile for risk to structures, in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — a score built from 134 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Chunchula's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 92nd percentile nationally.
Where Chunchula's buildings actually sit
Of Chunchula's 134 counted buildings, 100% carry Direct exposure and only 0% carry Minimal — a lopsided split that puts defensible-space clearing ahead of vents or roofing as the intervention worth doing first.
Chunchula against the rest of the country
Chunchula scores 90th nationally and 98th within Alabama — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Chunchula ranks 3,232 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 27,522 by building count (1 is largest). Within Alabama alone, it ranks 15 of 592 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Alabama on its state page.
Chunchula and the insurance market
At the 90th percentile nationally, Chunchula 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.
What would actually reduce this score
Because Direct exposure dominates in Chunchula (100%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Chunchula's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 134 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Chunchula. The exposure-zones guide covers what Chunchula's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.