Prudhoe Bay, AK
Prudhoe Bay, AK's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Prudhoe Bay sits at the 17th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 1,038 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Prudhoe Bay's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 21st percentile nationally.
Where Prudhoe Bay's buildings actually sit
Most of Prudhoe Bay's buildings (87.1%) 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 Prudhoe Bay compares
Prudhoe Bay scores 17th nationally and 20th within Alaska — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Prudhoe Bay ranks 26,242 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 11,667 by building count (1 is largest). Within Alaska alone, it ranks 257 of 322 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Alaska on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 17th national percentile, Prudhoe Bay rates low for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Prudhoe Bay (87.1% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Prudhoe Bay's figures come from
Prudhoe Bay's 17th-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 Prudhoe Bay's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.