Newhalen, AK
How exposed is Newhalen to wildfire?
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Newhalen at the 32nd national percentile for risk to structures, close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — a score built from 89 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Newhalen at the 35th national percentile — 2 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Newhalen's building exposure, zone by zone
Direct exposure dominates in Newhalen: 92.1% of its 89 buildings, versus 6.7% Indirect and 1.1% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
Where Newhalen ranks
Newhalen's risk sits at a similar level relative to Alaska (27th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (32nd) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Newhalen ranks 21,293 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 29,521 by building count (1 is largest). Within Alaska alone, it ranks 236 of 322 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Alaska on its state page.
Newhalen and the insurance market
At the 32nd national percentile, Newhalen rates moderate for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Hardening a home in Newhalen
With 92.1% of Newhalen 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.
Where Newhalen's figures come from
Newhalen's 32nd-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 Newhalen's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.