Tool

Wildfire Risk Lookup

Quick lookup: type in a ZIP or county and get an estimated wildfire risk band plus nearest-historical-large-fire reference. For deeper plans, visit your state forestry agency.

Tell us where

Most wildfire acreage comes from a few large fires

Share of total US wildfire acreage by fire size class

Conversion funnel Funnel chart with 3 stages, conversion 7.7% from top to bottom. Mega-fires (100,000+ acres) 65% of acres 65% of acres▼ -53.8% drop (35% of acres lost) Large fires (1,000-100,000) 30% of acres 30% of acres▼ -83.3% drop (25% of acres lost) Small fires (under 1,000) 5% of acres

How this tool estimates risk

The lookup uses a coarse ZIP-prefix → state mapping joined to NIFC large-fire frequency by state and county-of-record. Risk bands ("Low / Moderate / Elevated / High / Very High") are derived from per-county historical large-fire counts (≥1,000 acres) over the last 10 NIFC seasons. This is a rough screen, not a substitute for state forestry / Cal-Fire / Texas A&M Forest Service hazard maps.

What to do next

  • Defensible space — clear vegetation 30 ft from structures, harden eaves and vents.
  • Local Firewise USA — if you live in a wildland-urban interface, see if your community is enrolled.
  • NWCG & NIFC daily Sit Report — track active large incidents during fire season.
  • State forestry hazard map — every Western state publishes a parcel-level hazard layer.

Privacy: this tool runs entirely in your browser. The ZIP/county you type is never sent to PlainFireData servers.