Independent Hill, VA
How exposed is Independent Hill to wildfire?
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Independent Hill at the 31st national percentile for risk to structures, close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — a score built from 3,388 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Independent Hill at the 32nd percentile, close to its 31st-percentile risk score.
Independent Hill's building exposure, zone by zone
Direct exposure dominates in Independent Hill: 64.7% of its 3,388 buildings, versus 35.3% Indirect and 0% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
How Independent Hill compares
Independent Hill's risk sits at a similar level relative to Virginia (21st percentile statewide) as it does nationally (31st) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Independent Hill ranks 21,762 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 4,931 by building count (1 is largest). Within Virginia alone, it ranks 539 of 681 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Virginia on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Independent Hill
Independent Hill's moderate wildfire rating (31st percentile) isn't the kind of score driving the carrier pullback making news in the highest-risk Western markets — but a standard homeowners quote is still worth comparing on its own terms.
Hardening a home in Independent Hill
Because Direct exposure dominates in Independent Hill (64.7%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
Where Independent Hill's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 3,388 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Independent Hill. The exposure-zones guide covers what Independent Hill's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.