Herbst, IN
Herbst wildfire risk explained
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Herbst at the 0th national percentile for risk to structures, among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally — a score built from 70 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Herbst at the 0th national percentile — 0 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
67.1% of Herbst's 70 buildings sit in USFS's Minimal exposure zone, with only 32.9% rated Direct — risk here comes from regional burn probability more than proximity to burnable vegetation at the structure itself.
Where Herbst ranks
There's little gap between Herbst's 0th national percentile and its 2nd percentile inside Indiana, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Herbst ranks 31,458 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 30,274 by building count (1 is largest). Within Indiana alone, it ranks 952 of 967 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Indiana on its state page.
Herbst and the insurance market
At the 0th national percentile, Herbst rates low 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 Herbst
Even with 67.1% of Herbst outside USFS's Direct and Indirect zones, basic hardening — gutter maintenance, ember-resistant vents — is inexpensive relative to the regional burn-probability risk noted above. Details in the home-hardening guide.
Where Herbst's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 70 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Herbst. The exposure-zones guide covers what Herbst's dominant minimal exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.