Thomas, WV
Thomas wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Thomas lands at the 43rd percentile for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 445 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Thomas at the 43rd national percentile — 0 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Thomas's building exposure, zone by zone
63.2% of Thomas's 445 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 36.9% Direct and 0% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone.
How Thomas compares
Thomas's 43rd national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 24th ranking inside West Virginia does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 19 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Thomas ranks 17,920 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 18,373 by building count (1 is largest). Within West Virginia alone, it ranks 327 of 429 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for West Virginia on its state page.
Shopping for coverage in Thomas
Thomas's elevated wildfire rating (43rd 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.
Hardening a home in Thomas
Thomas's 63.2% 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 Thomas's figures come from
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 445 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Thomas. The exposure-zones guide covers what Thomas's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.