Sun River, MT
How exposed is Sun River to wildfire?
USFS scores Sun River at the 60th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (modestly above the national average for wildfire risk), a figure built from 122 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Sun River at the 60th national percentile — 1 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Of Sun River's 122 counted buildings, 63.1% carry Direct exposure and only 0% carry Minimal — a lopsided split that puts defensible-space clearing ahead of vents or roofing as the intervention worth doing first.
How Sun River compares
Sun River ranks lower within Montana (23rd percentile statewide) than its 60th national percentile suggests alone — a calmer spot in a state where wildfire risk generally runs high. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Sun River ranks 12,738 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 28,073 by building count (1 is largest). Within Montana alone, it ranks 364 of 475 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Montana on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Sun River
Sun River's elevated rating (60th percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
What would actually reduce this score
With 63.1% of Sun River in Direct exposure, defensible-space clearing and ember-resistant construction (vents, Class-A roofing) address the exposure this page's own numbers describe, not a generic checklist. See the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 122 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Sun River. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Sun River, see the exposure-zones guide.