Shell Lake, WI
How exposed is Shell Lake to wildfire?
Shell Lake's 1,178 buildings earn a 26th-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Shell Lake's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 26th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Indirect exposure is dominant in Shell Lake (50.7% of 1,178 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 46% sit in the Direct zone.
Where Shell Lake ranks
Within Wisconsin, Shell Lake ranks higher (51st percentile) than it does nationally (26th) — one of the more fire-exposed places in a state that, overall, scores lower than that. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Shell Lake ranks 23,466 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 10,781 by building count (1 is largest). Within Wisconsin alone, it ranks 397 of 808 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Wisconsin on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Shell Lake
At the 26th national percentile, Shell Lake rates moderate for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
What would actually reduce this score
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Shell Lake (50.7% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
More on how this number was built
Shell Lake's 26th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Shell Lake, see the exposure-zones guide.