Topsham, ME
How exposed is Topsham to wildfire?
USFS scores Topsham at the 7th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (among the lower wildfire-risk places nationally), a figure built from 3,030 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Topsham's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 7th percentile nationally.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
55.1% of Topsham's 3,030 buildings sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone, roughly 1,668 structures close enough to burnable vegetation for flame contact, not just embers — 41.5% fall in the Indirect, ember-only zone and 3.5% are Minimal.
Topsham against the rest of the country
Topsham's risk sits at a similar level relative to Maine (6th percentile statewide) as it does nationally (7th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Topsham ranks 29,407 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 5,383 by building count (1 is largest). Within Maine alone, it ranks 148 of 155 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Maine on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 7th national percentile, Topsham rates low for wildfire risk — well short of the threshold where insurers have been withdrawing coverage, though comparing a quote costs nothing either way.
What would actually reduce this score
Topsham's 55.1% Direct-exposure share means lot clearing around the structure typically outweighs any single material upgrade here. The home-hardening guide ranks the options for a place shaped like this.
More on how this number was built
Topsham's 7th-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. For more on what direct exposure implies beyond Topsham, see the exposure-zones guide.