Helmville, MT
Helmville wildfire risk explained
Helmville sits at the 88th 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 64 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Helmville at the 89th national percentile — 1 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where Helmville's buildings actually sit
USFS classifies 100% of Helmville's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 0% Indirect share and far above its 0% Minimal share — a profile where 64 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
How Helmville compares
Inside Montana, Helmville sits at just the 72nd percentile even though it scores 88th nationally — the state's overall wildfire exposure is high enough to make this a relatively quiet corner of it. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Helmville ranks 3,688 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 30,514 by building count (1 is largest). Within Montana alone, it ranks 133 of 475 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Montana on its state page.
Helmville and the insurance market
At the 88th percentile nationally, Helmville carries the very high rating that has pushed some carriers to limit new business in similarly-scored places elsewhere in the country. Worth comparing quotes rather than assuming last year's renewal terms still apply.
What would actually reduce this score
Helmville's 100% 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 Helmville's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 64 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Helmville. The exposure-zones guide covers what Helmville's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.