Ranking Wildfire Risk Across the US

Image courtesy of Glenn Beltz under Attribution 2.0 Generic Deed, resized to 700 x 391 pixels.

There’s little doubt that the country’s overall wildfire risk is on the rise.  Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve no doubt heard about the devastating fires in California, but as you will see, there are other states and regions that are also at high risk.

Regions with the Highest Wildfire Risk

More people live in high-risk areas than you might expect.  According to USA Today, 3.3 million people live in “very” high-risk areas, and an additional 15 million live where the risk is “relatively” high.

And these numbers will likely grow as climates become drier and hotter, and as populations increasingly encroach on wildlands.  In fact, population growth has exceeded 70% in high-risk areas over the past 30 years, compared to the average population increase of 40% during that time period.

Overall, the 3 highest-risk metropolitan areas identified in the analysis are East Wenatchee, WA, Rapid City, SD, and St. George, UT.  The 5 highest-risk regions are:

• The Southwest: Although this region is known for desert landscapes, the shifting sands have been carpeted over by an invasive grass species called cheatgrass which allows fires to travel farther.
• Idaho: The state has many structures that are in brushy areas prone to igniting. It’s also one of the fastest-growing states in the U.S.
• Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas: Prone to large grassland wildfires that can spread rapidly on windy days, putting many homes at risk.
• Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina: These states are at risk because they have attributes that are fire-friendly and are experiencing a lot of population expansion into rural areas.
• New Jersey Pine Barrens: This area contains forests and scrubland that is highly flammable and increasingly surrounded by development.

So yes, it’s not just California.  There are several parts of the U.S. that are also burdened with a high wildfire risk.  And for the electric utilities serving these areas, the only thing to say is to reinforce the importance of wildfire prevention and being prepared!