Sun Prairie, MT
How exposed is Sun Prairie to wildfire?
Sun Prairie's 1,202 buildings earn a 51st-percentile wildfire-risk score nationally under USFS's model — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Sun Prairie's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 50th percentile nationally.
Sun Prairie's building exposure, zone by zone
Indirect exposure is dominant in Sun Prairie (54.7% of 1,202 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 44.8% sit in the Direct zone.
Where Sun Prairie ranks
Sun Prairie's 51st national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 14th ranking inside Montana does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 37 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Sun Prairie ranks 15,600 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 10,639 by building count (1 is largest). Within Montana alone, it ranks 410 of 475 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Montana on its state page.
Sun Prairie and the insurance market
Sun Prairie's elevated wildfire rating (51st percentile) isn't the kind of score driving the carrier pullback making news in the highest-risk Western markets — but a standard homeowners quote is still worth comparing on its own terms.
Lowering exposure, not just insuring around it
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Sun Prairie (54.7% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where Sun Prairie's figures come from
Sun Prairie's 51st-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 Sun Prairie's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.