Montana’s threat of catastrophic property destruction by wildfires ranks No. 2 in the nation
A helicopter flies over the Gravel Pit Fire Friday evening, Aug. 4. (Scott Shindledecker/The Western News)
In a recent study of properties at risk for wildfire, Montana has the second highest percentage of at-risk properties with more than half of the structures in the state possibly vulnerable to wildfire.
The study was published by researchers at LendingTree, a national company that specializes in home mortgages and also studies issues related to housing. In the report, it shows that as the climate gets hotter and states like Montana become more populated, more properties are at risk. That additional risk is driving up the cost of homeowners insurance for many residents, even those whose property isn’t normally thought of as at-risk.
According to the study, wildfires nationally have increased by 17% year over year. Furthermore, Montana is one of the western states that hasn’t adopted a collection of building codes for areas where housing touches wilderness. The area is often referred to as the “wildland-urban interface” — and Montana has a lot of both wildland and properties that touch those areas.
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