Helmsburg, IN
Helmsburg, IN's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Helmsburg sits at the 22nd percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 169 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Helmsburg's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 23rd percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
99.4% of Helmsburg's 169 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 168 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 0.6% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0% are Minimal.
How Helmsburg compares
Within Indiana, Helmsburg ranks higher (86th percentile) than it does nationally (22nd) — one of the more fire-exposed places in a state that, overall, scores lower than that. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Helmsburg ranks 24,577 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 26,065 by building count (1 is largest). Within Indiana alone, it ranks 137 of 967 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Indiana on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 22nd national percentile, Helmsburg rates moderate for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Helmsburg's 99.4% 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 Helmsburg's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 169 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Helmsburg. The exposure-zones guide covers what Helmsburg's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.