Rufus, OR
Rufus wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Rufus lands at the 96th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — a figure built from its 231 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Rufus's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 96th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Most of Rufus's buildings (73.2%) 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.
Where Rufus ranks
Rufus's risk sits at a similar level relative to Oregon (85th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (96th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Rufus ranks 1,428 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 23,774 by building count (1 is largest). Within Oregon alone, it ranks 65 of 420 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Oregon on its state page.
Rufus and the insurance market
Because Rufus is in Oregon, a wildfire-hazard disclosure is legally required before a sale closes here — unusual nationally, since only these two states mandate it. Full detail in the disclosure-law guide.
What would actually reduce this score
Rufus's 73.2% 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 Rufus's figures come from
Rufus's 96th-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 Rufus's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.