Matewan, WV
How exposed is Matewan to wildfire?
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Matewan at the 95th national percentile for risk to structures, in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — a score built from 231 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Matewan's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 96th percentile nationally.
Where Matewan's buildings actually sit
Indirect exposure is dominant in Matewan (62.8% of 231 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 37.2% sit in the Direct zone.
How Matewan compares
There's little gap between Matewan's 95th national percentile and its 96th percentile inside West Virginia, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Matewan ranks 1,687 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 23,779 by building count (1 is largest). Within West Virginia alone, it ranks 20 of 429 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for West Virginia on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Matewan
At the 95th percentile nationally, Matewan carries the very 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.
What would actually reduce this score
Matewan's 62.8% Indirect-exposure share points at embers, not flame contact, as the main pathway — ember-resistant vents and non-combustible roofing rank ahead of defensible space here. Detail in the home-hardening guide.
Where Matewan's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 231 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Matewan. The exposure-zones guide covers what Matewan's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.