Coalinga, CA
How exposed is Coalinga to wildfire?
Coalinga sits at the 85th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 4,841 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Coalinga's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 87th percentile nationally.
Coalinga's building exposure, zone by zone
Indirect exposure is dominant in Coalinga (96.6% of 4,841 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 3.2% sit in the Direct zone.
Coalinga against the rest of the country
Coalinga ranks lower within California (50th percentile statewide) than its 85th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Coalinga ranks 4,688 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 3,530 by building count (1 is largest). Within California alone, it ranks 781 of 1,570 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for California on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Coalinga's 85th-percentile score lands in California, the only two states requiring a wildfire disclosure at sale. California's surplus-lines homeowners market passed 300,000 policies for the first time in 2025, driven by carriers pulling back from wildfire-exposed areas statewide. The disclosure-law guide covers what it requires.
Hardening a home in Coalinga
Coalinga's 96.6% 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
Coalinga's 85th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Coalinga, see the exposure-zones guide.