Zenda, KS
How exposed is Zenda to wildfire?
USFS scores Zenda at the 87th national percentile for wildfire risk to structures (in USFS's highest wildfire-risk band nationally), a figure built from 141 real buildings rather than raw vegetation cover. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
Fire likelihood alone (USFS's burn-probability figure) ranks Zenda at the 87th national percentile — 0 points below its risk-to-structures score, a gap driven by how much is actually built there.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
Indirect exposure is dominant in Zenda (78% of 141 buildings): far enough from burnable vegetation to avoid flame contact, close enough for wind-blown embers. Only 22% sit in the Direct zone.
How Zenda compares
Zenda scores 87th nationally and 88th within Kansas — close enough that its state context doesn't change the picture the national number already gives. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Zenda ranks 4,001 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 27,252 by building count (1 is largest). Within Kansas alone, it ranks 91 of 721 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Kansas on its state page.
Zenda and the insurance market
Zenda's very high rating (87th 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.
Hardening a home in Zenda
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Zenda (78% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
More on how this number was built
The methodology guide shows exactly how USFS turned 141 counted buildings into the percentiles shown above for Zenda. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Zenda, see the exposure-zones guide.