Gackle, ND
How exposed is Gackle to wildfire?
Gackle sits at the 45th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 399 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Gackle's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 44th percentile nationally.
Gackle's building exposure, zone by zone
USFS puts 76.7% of Gackle's 399 buildings in the Indirect exposure zone, versus 23.3% Direct and 0% Minimal — a place where the fire doesn't need to reach the structure directly for embers to.
How Gackle compares
Gackle scores 45th nationally and 39th within North Dakota — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Gackle ranks 17,213 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 19,234 by building count (1 is largest). Within North Dakota alone, it ranks 245 of 402 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for North Dakota on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Gackle's elevated rating (45th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
What would actually reduce this score
Because 76.7% of Gackle's buildings sit in the Indirect zone, sealing the ember pathway (vents, roofing, gutters) is the intervention this page's data actually supports — see the home-hardening guide.
Where Gackle's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Gackle's 17,213-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Gackle's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.