Mallow, VA
How exposed is Mallow to wildfire?
Out of every US place USFS scores, Mallow lands at the 70th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 459 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Mallow at the 68th national percentile — 2 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Most of Mallow's buildings (83.4%) sit in the Indirect zone, where wind-blown embers rather than flame front are the mechanism USFS is scoring — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing are the interventions this pattern favors, more than defensible space alone.
Mallow against the rest of the country
Mallow's risk sits at a similar level relative to Virginia (82nd percentile statewide) as it does nationally (70th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Mallow ranks 9,503 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 18,092 by building count (1 is largest). Within Virginia alone, it ranks 122 of 681 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Virginia on its state page.
Mallow and the insurance market
At the 70th percentile nationally, Mallow 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.
Hardening a home in Mallow
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Mallow (83.4% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Mallow's figures come from
Mallow's 70th-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 Mallow's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.