Virginia wildfire risk
Virginia sits in the lower half of US states for wildfire hazard, but lower does not mean none — hazard concentrates locally regardless of the statewide picture. This page covers current activity and how to check your own address.
Active fires in Virginia
Virginia's recorded fire history
Federal perimeter records list 159 mapped wildfires in Virginia since 2000. The largest on that record is the Pinnacles Fire of 2000, which burned 18,055 acres.
| Fire | Year | Area burned |
|---|---|---|
| Pinnacles Fire | 2000 | 18,055 acres |
| Mount Pleasant Fire | 2016 | 11,210 acres |
| Rocky Mount Fire 2016 Fire | 2016 | 10,324 acres |
| Old Rag Fire | 2000 | 6,128 acres |
Recorded history feeds directly into your address score: our model counts mapped burns within 25 miles of a parcel, weighted toward large ones. It is worth knowing the limitation, though — a long record of successful suppression can leave an area reading quiet while fuel accumulates, which is precisely the condition that produces the next large fire.
Where hazard concentrates in Virginia
Wildfire hazard is not spread evenly across a state. These are the 5 counties in Virginia with the highest wildfire risk scores in FEMA's National Risk Index, with the building value each has sitting in exposed areas.
| County | Hazard score | Building exposure |
|---|---|---|
| Wise County | 84.3 | $338M |
| Dickenson County | 83.3 | $271M |
| Lee County | 80.6 | $408M |
| Accomack County | 79.5 | $2.0B |
| Buchanan County | 72.0 | $128M |
Wise County carries the highest score in the state at 84.3. If your address is there, or in any of the counties above, the statewide average understates your situation considerably — which is the reason to check the parcel rather than the state.
How Virginia ranks nationally
FEMA's National Risk Index scores every US county for expected annual wildfire loss. Across Virginia's 133 assessed counties the average wildfire hazard score is 27.1, which places the state 44th of the 50 states. The most exposed county in Virginia scores 84.3.
Against a 50-state average of 52.7, Virginia sits 25.6 points below it. Rank 44 of 50. The National Risk Index blends how often wildfire is expected with how much is standing in the way, so a state can post a moderate score with severe local hazard wherever development has pushed into the wildland-urban interface.
Roughly $154.3B of building value sits inside Virginia's wildfire-exposed areas. That figure is what drives carrier behaviour: insurers manage concentration of exposure, so a state can have modest average hazard and still see availability problems wherever that value clusters in the wildland-urban interface.
Virginia wildfire season
Virginia sees most wildfire activity during dry spells in spring and autumn, when cured vegetation and low humidity coincide. Activity is generally episodic rather than a sustained multi-month season.
Insurance in Virginia
Virginia operates a FAIR Plan or equivalent residual market. Average hazard across the state is moderate, so most homeowners remain in the standard admitted market — but that is a statewide average, and parcels in the wildland-urban interface can face declinations regardless of the state picture.
Residual-market availability and the rules governing it change. Confirm the current position with the Virginia Department of Insurance before you rely on it.
Whatever the market looks like in your area, the sequence is the same: document mitigation before your renewal date, work with an independent broker who can access surplus lines, and ask directly whether the carrier credits wildfire mitigation. The full fire insurance guide covers non-renewal, FAIR Plans and difference-in-conditions wraps in detail.
Lowering your risk in Virginia
The two changes with the best return anywhere in the country are clearing the first five feet around the structure to non-combustible material, and screening vents against ember entry. Both are cheap, both address the mechanism that destroys most homes, and both are visible to an underwriter if you photograph and invoice them. What qualifies and how to document it.