Fort Chiswell, VA
Fort Chiswell wildfire risk explained
Fort Chiswell sits at the 62nd percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 755 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 Fort Chiswell at the 65th percentile, close to its 62nd-percentile risk score.
Fort Chiswell's building exposure, zone by zone
Direct exposure dominates in Fort Chiswell: 79.7% of its 755 buildings, versus 20.3% Indirect and 0% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
How Fort Chiswell compares
Fort Chiswell's risk sits at a similar level relative to Virginia (69th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (62nd) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Fort Chiswell ranks 12,085 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 14,073 by building count (1 is largest). Within Virginia alone, it ranks 212 of 681 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Virginia on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Fort Chiswell
Fort Chiswell's high rating (62nd percentile) puts it among the places where the national carrier-pullback trend is most relevant — not a guarantee of a coverage problem, but a reason to shop rather than assume.
Hardening a home in Fort Chiswell
Because Direct exposure dominates in Fort Chiswell (79.7%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Fort Chiswell's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 755 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Fort Chiswell. The exposure-zones guide covers what Fort Chiswell's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.