Oelrichs, SD
Oelrichs wildfire risk explained
USFS scores Oelrichs at the 93rd national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally), a figure built from 142 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Oelrichs's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 93rd percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Most of Oelrichs's buildings (68.3%) 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.
How Oelrichs compares
Oelrichs's risk sits at a similar level relative to South Dakota (97th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (93rd) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Oelrichs ranks 2,149 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 27,225 by building count (1 is largest). Within South Dakota alone, it ranks 17 of 439 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for South Dakota on its state page.
Oelrichs and the insurance market
At the 93rd percentile nationally, Oelrichs 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
Oelrichs's 68.3% 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 Oelrichs's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 142 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Oelrichs. The exposure-zones guide covers what Oelrichs's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.