Petersburg, WV
Petersburg wildfire risk explained
Petersburg's 1,416 buildings earn a 62nd-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — well above the national norm for wildfire risk. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Petersburg at the 64th percentile, close to its 62nd-percentile risk score.
Where Petersburg's buildings actually sit
1,416 buildings are counted in Petersburg, and 89.6% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 10.5% in Direct exposure or the 0% rated Minimal.
Petersburg against the rest of the country
Petersburg scores 62nd nationally and 54th within West Virginia — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Petersburg ranks 11,868 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 9,559 by building count (1 is largest). Within West Virginia alone, it ranks 200 of 429 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for West Virginia on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Petersburg
At the 62nd percentile nationally, Petersburg 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.
What would actually reduce this score
Petersburg's 89.6% 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 Petersburg's figures come from
Petersburg's 62nd-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 Petersburg's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.