Scarbro, WV
How exposed is Scarbro to wildfire?
Out of every US place USFS scores, Scarbro lands at the 64th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 350 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Scarbro's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 67th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Indirect exposure is dominant in Scarbro (61.4% of 350 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 38.6% sit in the Direct zone.
How Scarbro compares
Scarbro scores 64th nationally and 56th within West Virginia — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Scarbro ranks 11,363 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 20,326 by building count (1 is largest). Within West Virginia alone, it ranks 191 of 429 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for West Virginia on its state page.
Scarbro and the insurance market
Scarbro's high rating (64th 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.
Hardening a home in Scarbro
Scarbro's 61.4% 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 Scarbro's figures come from
Scarbro's 64th-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 Scarbro's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.