Lamar, SC
Lamar wildfire risk explained
Lamar sits at the 72nd percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 734 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Lamar's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 72nd percentile nationally.
Lamar's building exposure, zone by zone
USFS puts 54.8% of Lamar's 734 buildings in the Indirect exposure zone, versus 45.2% Direct and 0% Minimal — a place where the fire doesn't need to reach the structure directly for embers to.
Where Lamar ranks
Lamar scores 72nd nationally and 66th within South Carolina — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Lamar ranks 8,777 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 14,290 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Carolina alone, it ranks 164 of 474 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Carolina on its state page.
Lamar and the insurance market
At the 72nd percentile nationally, Lamar carries the 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.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Lamar (54.8% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
More on how this number was built
Every one of the two percentiles behind Lamar's 8,777-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Lamar, see the exposure-zones guide.