Smeltertown, CO
How exposed is Smeltertown to wildfire?
Smeltertown sits at the 72nd 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 58 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Smeltertown's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 67th percentile nationally.
Smeltertown's building exposure, zone by zone
USFS puts 67.2% of Smeltertown's 58 buildings in the Indirect exposure zone, versus 32.8% Direct and 0% Minimal — a place where the fire doesn't need to reach the structure directly for embers to.
Where Smeltertown ranks
Smeltertown's 72nd national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 40th ranking inside Colorado does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 32 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Smeltertown ranks 8,910 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 30,704 by building count (1 is largest). Within Colorado alone, it ranks 285 of 472 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Colorado on its state page.
Smeltertown and the insurance market
At the 72nd percentile nationally, Smeltertown carries the high rating that has pushed some carriers to limit new business in similarly-scored places elsewhere in the country. Worth comparing quotes rather than assuming last year's renewal terms still apply.
What would actually reduce this score
Because 67.2% of Smeltertown's buildings sit in the Indirect zone, sealing the ember pathway (vents, roofing, gutters) is the intervention this page's data actually supports — see the home-hardening guide.
Where Smeltertown's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 58 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Smeltertown. The exposure-zones guide covers what Smeltertown's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.