Smith River, CA
Smith River wildfire risk explained
Smith River sits at the 64th 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 523 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Smith River's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 66th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
55.8% of Smith River's 523 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 44.2% Direct and 0% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone.
Where Smith River ranks
Smith River's 64th national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 22nd ranking inside California does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 42 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Smith River ranks 11,461 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 16,974 by building count (1 is largest). Within California alone, it ranks 1,226 of 1,570 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for California on its state page.
Smith River and the insurance market
Smith River sits in California, one of two states that legally require a wildfire-risk disclosure at sale. California's FAIR Plan, the state's insurer of last resort, ended 2025 with 668,609 residential policies after adding 21,859 in Q4 alone — the kind of market shift a 64th-percentile score like Smith River's can end up mattering for. More on the disclosure law.
Hardening a home in Smith River
Smith River's 55.8% 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.
More on how this number was built
Smith River's 64th-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 Smith River, see the exposure-zones guide.