Puhi, HI
Puhi, HI's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Out of every US place USFS scores, Puhi lands at the 94th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — a figure built from its 755 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Puhi'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
Most of Puhi's buildings (87.6%) 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.
Puhi against the rest of the country
Puhi ranks lower within Hawaii (67th percentile statewide) than its 94th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Puhi ranks 1,888 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 14,060 by building count (1 is largest). Within Hawaii alone, it ranks 54 of 163 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Hawaii on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Puhi
Puhi's 94th-percentile, very high rating is the kind of score behind a broader national pattern: insurers pulling back from the highest wildfire-risk markets, non-renewing or declining new policies outright, most visibly in California. Shopping around, not assuming automatic renewal, tends to matter here.
Hardening a home in Puhi
Puhi's 87.6% 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 Puhi's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind Puhi's 1,888-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what Puhi's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.