Eureka, MT
Eureka wildfire risk explained
USFS scores Eureka at the 96th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally), a figure built from 1,017 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Eureka's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 97th percentile nationally.
Eureka's building exposure, zone by zone
USFS puts 83.2% of Eureka's 1,017 buildings in the Indirect exposure zone, versus 16.8% Direct and 0% Minimal — a place where the fire doesn't need to reach the structure directly for embers to.
Where Eureka ranks
There's little gap between Eureka's 96th national percentile and its 91st percentile inside Montana, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Eureka ranks 1,385 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 11,824 by building count (1 is largest). Within Montana alone, it ranks 44 of 475 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Montana on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 96th percentile nationally, Eureka 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.
Hardening a home in Eureka
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Eureka (83.2% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 1,017 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Eureka. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Eureka, see the exposure-zones guide.