Key takeaways
- Carson City: higher than 98.5% of US communities; 10.3% of buildings in the direct-exposure zone.
- Lemmon Valley 99.2, Dayton 98.9, Spanish Springs 98.6, Reno 97.7 and Incline Village 97.7 (US percentile).
- FEMA rates wildfire risk Relatively High in Washoe and Douglas counties and Relatively Moderate in Carson City.
- Fallon (31st percentile) and Yerington (62nd) are at the low end.
These figures come from the USFS Wildfire Risk to Communities data, dated April 15, 2026. A percentile ranks places against each other. It does not predict a fire at any one house.
Selected communities
| Community | Risk to homes, US percentile | Buildings directly exposed |
|---|---|---|
| Lemmon Valley | 99.2 | 45.3% |
| Dayton | 98.9 | 27.4% |
| Spanish Springs | 98.6 | 32.0% |
| Carson City | 98.5 | 10.3% |
| Zephyr Cove | 98.0 | 30.3% |
| Kingsbury | 97.9 | 53.0% |
| Reno | 97.7 | 5.0% |
| Incline Village | 97.7 | 61.0% |
What does the wildfire risk number measure?
The score ranks places by risk to homes. A 98.5 means higher risk to homes than 98.5% of US communities. The USFS also splits buildings by exposure: direct exposure means the building is in or next to burnable vegetation, and indirect means it is farther away but still reachable, for example by embers.
Place scores cover cities and towns. ZIP-code neighborhoods like Galena (89511) or Caughlin Ranch (89519) have no record of their own, so use the parent city or county figure and say so.
County view
County risk-to-homes percentiles: Storey 98.3, Carson City 98.3, Douglas 97.3, Washoe 97.2, Lyon 93.0. FEMA's National Risk Index (December 2025) rates wildfire risk Relatively High in Washoe and Douglas, and Relatively Moderate in Carson City, Lyon and Storey.
Which communities have lower wildfire risk?
Fallon scores at the 31st US percentile, Hawthorne 52nd and Yerington 62nd. Low is relative: a lot on the edge of any open land can still burn, and these towns are outside the areas where we do fire mitigation work.
How to read the two exposure columns
The two columns in the table answer different questions. The percentile compares one community with the rest of the country. The direct-exposure share tells you how much of that community's housing stands in or next to burnable vegetation. Incline Village is at 97.7 with 61.0% of buildings directly exposed, while Reno is also at 97.7 with 5.0%. Same rank, very different neighborhoods. For your own house, the lot in front of you matters more than either number.
The figures are USFS modeled estimates, so treat them as a way to compare places and to decide where to start, not as a prediction. Glenbrook has the highest direct-exposure share in our data at 98.9%, and Washoe Valley is next at 93.7%.
Limits of the data
The scores are modeled estimates, built by the Forest Service from vegetation, terrain, climate and housing data. The results are most useful for comparing places and for deciding which of your neighbors' concerns to take seriously. They do not account for the work you have done on your own lot, and they cannot say whether a particular roof or fence will catch an ember.
What to do with a number
A high percentile is a reason to work the zones: clear the first 5 feet, thin the next 25, and reduce fuel out to 100 feet. See what is defensible space. For the full table, see our wildfire risk by community data page. Call 775.232.8243 for a free estimate.
Sources
- USDA Forest Service: Wildfire Risk to Communities (data dated April 15, 2026) (data recorded October 1, 2026)
- FEMA: National Risk Index (December 2025 release) (data recorded October 1, 2026)