Lost Creek, WV
How exposed is Lost Creek to wildfire?
Lost Creek sits at the 45th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 297 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Lost Creek at the 46th percentile, close to its 45th-percentile risk score.
Lost Creek's building exposure, zone by zone
Direct exposure dominates in Lost Creek: 50.8% of its 297 buildings, versus 49.2% Indirect and 0% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
Lost Creek against the rest of the country
Lost Creek ranks lower within West Virginia (28th percentile statewide) than its 45th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Lost Creek ranks 17,510 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 21,722 by building count (1 is largest). Within West Virginia alone, it ranks 309 of 429 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for West Virginia on its state page.
Lost Creek and the insurance market
At the 45th national percentile, Lost Creek rates elevated for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With 50.8% of Lost Creek in Direct exposure, defensible-space clearing and ember-resistant construction (vents, Class-A roofing) address the exposure this page's own numbers describe, not a generic checklist. See the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
Every one of the two percentiles behind Lost Creek's 17,510-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Lost Creek, see the exposure-zones guide.