Clifton Forge, VA
Clifton Forge wildfire risk explained
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Clifton Forge at the 73rd national percentile for risk to structures, well above the national norm for wildfire risk — a score built from 1,868 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Clifton Forge's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 71st percentile nationally.
Clifton Forge's building exposure, zone by zone
Indirect exposure is dominant in Clifton Forge (77.4% of 1,868 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 22.6% sit in the Direct zone.
Where Clifton Forge ranks
Clifton Forge scores 73rd nationally and 87th within Virginia — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Clifton Forge ranks 8,555 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 7,855 by building count (1 is largest). Within Virginia alone, it ranks 88 of 681 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Virginia on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 73rd percentile nationally, Clifton Forge carries the 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
Clifton Forge's 77.4% 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
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 1,868 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Clifton Forge. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Clifton Forge, see the exposure-zones guide.