Hyder, AK
How exposed is Hyder to wildfire?
USFS scores Hyder at the 10th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally), a figure built from 81 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Hyder's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 10th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
USFS classifies 88.9% of Hyder's buildings as Direct exposure, higher than its 11.1% Indirect share and far above its 0% Minimal share — a profile where 72 structures sit close enough to vegetation that lot clearing matters most.
How Hyder compares
Hyder scores 10th nationally and 14th within Alaska — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Hyder ranks 28,259 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 29,832 by building count (1 is largest). Within Alaska alone, it ranks 277 of 322 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Alaska on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Hyder
At the 10th national percentile, Hyder 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 Hyder
Because Direct exposure dominates in Hyder (88.9%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Hyder's figures come from
Hyder's 10th-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 Hyder's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.