Gauley Bridge, WV
Gauley Bridge, WV's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Gauley Bridge sits at the 94th 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 332 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Gauley Bridge at the 95th national percentile — 1 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Gauley Bridge's buildings actually sit
Indirect exposure is dominant in Gauley Bridge (51.8% of 332 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 44.6% sit in the Direct zone.
Where Gauley Bridge ranks
Gauley Bridge scores 94th nationally and 94th within West Virginia — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Gauley Bridge ranks 1,937 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 20,780 by building count (1 is largest). Within West Virginia alone, it ranks 27 of 429 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for West Virginia on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Gauley Bridge
Gauley Bridge's very high rating (94th 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 Gauley Bridge
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Gauley Bridge (51.8% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Gauley Bridge's figures come from
Gauley Bridge's 94th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Gauley Bridge's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.