Gamewell, NC
Gamewell wildfire risk explained
Gamewell sits at the 54th 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 2,398 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Gamewell at the 57th national percentile — 3 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
2,398 buildings are counted in Gamewell, and 94.9% of them sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone — flame contact, not just ember cast, is the live possibility for most of them, against 0% rated Minimal.
How Gamewell compares
Gamewell's risk sits at a similar level relative to North Carolina (48th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (54th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Gamewell ranks 14,658 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 6,519 by building count (1 is largest). Within North Carolina alone, it ranks 401 of 772 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for North Carolina on its state page.
Gamewell and the insurance market
Gamewell's elevated wildfire rating (54th percentile) isn't the kind of score driving the carrier pullback making news in the highest-risk Western markets — but a standard homeowners quote is still worth comparing on its own terms.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With 94.9% of Gamewell in Direct exposure, defensible-space clearing and ember-resistant construction (vents, Class-A roofing) address the exposure this page's own numbers describe, not a generic checklist. See the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
Gamewell's 54th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Gamewell, see the exposure-zones guide.