Panola, AL
Panola wildfire risk explained
USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model puts Panola at the 59th national percentile for risk to structures, modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a score built from 81 actual buildings. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Panola's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 61st percentile nationally.
Panola's building exposure, zone by zone
100% of Panola's 81 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 81 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 0% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0% are Minimal.
Panola against the rest of the country
Panola's 59th national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 22nd ranking inside Alabama does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 37 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Panola ranks 13,068 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 29,831 by building count (1 is largest). Within Alabama alone, it ranks 463 of 592 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Alabama on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 59th national percentile, Panola rates elevated for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
What would actually reduce this score
Panola's 100% Direct-exposure share means lot clearing around the structure typically outweighs any single material upgrade here. The home-hardening guide ranks the options for a place shaped like this.
Where Panola's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Panola's 13,068-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Panola's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.