Helena Flats, MT
Helena Flats wildfire risk explained
Helena Flats's 1,007 buildings earn a 53rd-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Helena Flats at the 54th percentile, close to its 53rd-percentile risk score.
Helena Flats's building exposure, zone by zone
89.4% of Helena Flats's 1,007 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 900 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 1.8% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 8.8% are Minimal.
Helena Flats against the rest of the country
Helena Flats ranks lower within Montana (16th percentile statewide) than its 53rd national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Helena Flats ranks 14,757 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 11,885 by building count (1 is largest). Within Montana alone, it ranks 400 of 475 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Montana on its state page.
Helena Flats and the insurance market
At the 53rd national percentile, Helena Flats rates elevated for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Hardening a home in Helena Flats
Helena Flats's 89.4% Direct-exposure share means lot clearing around the structure typically outweighs any single material upgrade here. The home-hardening guide ranks the options for a place shaped like this.
Where Helena Flats's figures come from
Helena Flats's 53rd-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 Helena Flats's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.