Pompeys Pillar, MT
Pompeys Pillar wildfire risk explained
USFS scores Pompeys Pillar at the 91st national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally), a figure built from 60 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Pompeys Pillar's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 92nd percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
60 buildings are counted in Pompeys Pillar, and 53.3% of them are Indirect exposure — ember-driven risk rather than the 46.7% in Direct exposure or the 0% rated Minimal.
Where Pompeys Pillar ranks
Pompeys Pillar scores 91st nationally and 79th within Montana — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Pompeys Pillar ranks 2,810 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 30,656 by building count (1 is largest). Within Montana alone, it ranks 99 of 475 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Montana on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Pompeys Pillar's very high rating (91st percentile) puts it among the places where the national carrier-pullback trend is most relevant — not a guarantee of a coverage problem, but a reason to shop rather than assume.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
Pompeys Pillar's 53.3% 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 Pompeys Pillar's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 60 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Pompeys Pillar. The exposure-zones guide covers what Pompeys Pillar's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.