Sapphire Ridge, MT
Sapphire Ridge, MT's wildfire risk, in USFS's own numbers
Sapphire Ridge sits at the 79th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 111 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Sapphire Ridge's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 77th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
92.8% of Sapphire Ridge's 111 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 103 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 7.2% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 0% are Minimal.
Where Sapphire Ridge ranks
Sapphire Ridge ranks lower within Montana (50th percentile statewide) than its 79th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Sapphire Ridge ranks 6,774 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 28,593 by building count (1 is largest). Within Montana alone, it ranks 238 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
Sapphire Ridge's high rating (79th 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
Sapphire Ridge's 92.8% Direct-exposure share means lot clearing around the structure typically outweighs any single material upgrade here. The home-hardening guide ranks the options for a place shaped like this.
More on how this number was built
Sapphire Ridge's 79th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Sapphire Ridge, see the exposure-zones guide.