West Dunbar, WV
West Dunbar wildfire risk explained
West Dunbar sits at the 66th percentile nationally for wildfire risk to structures — well above the national norm for wildfire risk — per USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities model, built from its 430 counted buildings, not vegetation cover alone. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, West Dunbar's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 67th percentile nationally.
West Dunbar's building exposure, zone by zone
97.9% of West Dunbar's 430 buildings fall in USFS's Indirect exposure zone — ember cast rather than direct flame — against 2.1% Direct and 0% Minimal. Vent screens and roofing material matter more here than lot clearing alone.
West Dunbar against the rest of the country
There's little gap between West Dunbar's 66th national percentile and its 59th percentile inside West Virginia, which means the state comparison mostly confirms what the national score already shows. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, West Dunbar ranks 10,765 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 18,664 by building count (1 is largest). Within West Virginia alone, it ranks 176 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
At the 66th percentile nationally, West Dunbar carries the high rating that has pushed some carriers to limit new business in similarly-scored places elsewhere in the country. Worth comparing quotes rather than assuming last year's renewal terms still apply.
Hardening a home in West Dunbar
West Dunbar's 97.9% 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 West Dunbar's figures come from
Every one of the two percentiles behind West Dunbar's 10,765-place national rank traces to USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities dataset — see the methodology guide. The exposure-zones guide covers what West Dunbar's dominant indirect exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.