Van, WV
How exposed is Van to wildfire?
Out of every US place USFS scores, Van lands at the 94th percentile for wildfire risk to structures — in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally — a figure built from its 164 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Van at the 95th national percentile — 2 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Van's building exposure, zone by zone
164 buildings are counted in Van, and 74.4% of them sit in USFS's Direct exposure zone — flame contact, not just ember cast, is the live possibility for most of them, against 0% rated Minimal.
Van against the rest of the country
Van's risk sits at a similar level relative to West Virginia (92nd percentile statewide) as it does nationally (94th) — this place isn't unusual for its own state either way. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Van ranks 2,034 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 26,270 by building count (1 is largest). Within West Virginia alone, it ranks 35 of 429 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for West Virginia on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Van's very high rating (94th percentile) puts it among the places where the national carrier-pullback trend is most relevant — not a guarantee of a coverage problem, but a reason to shop rather than assume.
What would actually reduce this score
Because Direct exposure dominates in Van (74.4%), the highest-leverage fix is defensible space, not roofing or vents alone — covered in the home-hardening guide.
More on how this number was built
Van's 94th-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 Van, see the exposure-zones guide.