South Lancaster, MA
How exposed is South Lancaster to wildfire?
South Lancaster sits at the 30th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — close to the middle of USFS's national wildfire-risk range — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 735 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, South Lancaster's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 28th percentile nationally.
South Lancaster's building exposure, zone by zone
Indirect exposure is dominant in South Lancaster (69.4% of 735 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 30.6% sit in the Direct zone.
South Lancaster against the rest of the country
Within Massachusetts, South Lancaster ranks higher (78th percentile) than it does nationally (30th) — one of the more fire-exposed places in a state that, overall, scores lower than that. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, South Lancaster ranks 22,028 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 14,274 by building count (1 is largest). Within Massachusetts alone, it ranks 57 of 248 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Massachusetts on its state page.
South Lancaster and the insurance market
South Lancaster's moderate rating (30th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Hardening a home in South Lancaster
South Lancaster's 69.4% 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 South Lancaster's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind South Lancaster's 22,028-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what South Lancaster's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.