West Denton, MD
West Denton wildfire risk explained
West Denton sits at the 46th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 77 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks West Denton at the 46th national percentile — 1 points above its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
Where West Denton's buildings actually sit
53.3% of West Denton's 77 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 46.8% Direct and 0% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone.
Where West Denton ranks
Within Maryland, West Denton ranks higher (65th percentile) than it does nationally (46th) — one of the more fire-exposed places in a state that, overall, scores lower than that. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, West Denton ranks 17,171 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 30,012 by building count (1 is largest). Within Maryland alone, it ranks 187 of 527 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Maryland on its state page.
West Denton and the insurance market
At the 46th national percentile, West Denton rates elevated 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
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in West Denton (53.3% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
Where West Denton's figures come from
West Denton's 46th-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 West Denton's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.