Willow Creek, MT
Willow Creek wildfire risk explained
USFS scores Willow Creek at the 71st national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (well above the national norm for wildfire risk), a figure built from 268 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Separately from the risk score above, Willow Creek's burn probability — fire likelihood with no building count factored in — sits at the 69th percentile nationally.
Where Willow Creek's buildings actually sit
Direct exposure dominates in Willow Creek: 57.8% of its 268 buildings, versus 42.2% Indirect and 0% Minimal. Clearing space around a structure changes the outcome here more than any single building-material swap.
Where Willow Creek ranks
Willow Creek's 71st national percentile looks worse in isolation than its 41st ranking inside Montana does — this place is on the milder end for its own state, by 30 points. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Willow Creek ranks 9,146 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 22,572 by building count (1 is largest). Within Montana alone, it ranks 282 of 475 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Montana on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
At the 71st percentile nationally, Willow Creek 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.
What would actually reduce this score
With 57.8% of Willow Creek in Direct exposure, defensible-space clearing and ember-resistant construction (vents, Class-A roofing) address the exposure this page's own numbers describe, not a generic checklist. See the home-hardening guide.
Where Willow Creek's figures come from
Willow Creek's 71st-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 Willow Creek's dominant direct exposure actually means, with real examples from across the dataset.