Kyle, SD
Kyle wildfire risk explained
Kyle's 393 buildings earn a 99th-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Kyle's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 99th percentile nationally.
Kyle's building exposure, zone by zone
Indirect exposure is dominant in Kyle (61.1% of 393 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 38.9% sit in the Direct zone.
Kyle against the rest of the country
Kyle's risk sits at a similar level relative to South Dakota (100th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (99th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Kyle ranks 329 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 19,355 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Dakota alone, it ranks 1 of 439 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Dakota on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Kyle
Kyle's 99th-percentile, very high rating is the kind of score behind a broader national pattern: insurers pulling back from the highest wildfire-risk markets, non-renewing or declining new policies outright, most visibly in California. Shopping around, not assuming automatic renewal, tends to matter here.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Kyle (61.1% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Kyle's figures come from
Kyle's 99th-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 Kyle's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.