Latest Wildfire Headlines
All the headlines from our Wildfire Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Wildfire Season Preview: Rest of 2025 Is High-Risk, May Follow LA Wildfires Paradigm
Jun 10 2025 // Following the “paradigm-shifting” Los Angeles wildfires in January, the 2024-2025 wildfire season will be remembered as a turning point for the insurance industry, and a warning that “wildfire is no...
It Will Take 5 Months to Transport Hawaii Wildfire Debris to Massive Landfill
Jun 10 2025 // Fifty trucks will spend five months hauling Lahaina wildfire debris to a landfill in the center of Maui starting next Monday, Maui County said. There’s enough debris to fill five football fields five stories high....
Hedge Funds Face California Rebuke Over Role in Wildfire Claims
Jun 9 2025 // Hedge funds are facing pushback in California as their bets tied to insurance claims stemming from the Los Angeles wildfires are attacked as unethical. The transactions in focus are tied to so-called subrogation claims,...
Homeowners Suing USAA and AAA Insurers Over LA Wildfires
Jun 6 2025 // Some homeowners who lost their homes in the Los Angeles wildfires have filed lawsuits against three large insurers over claims payouts they say didn’t cover their losses. The lawsuits were filed in Los Angeles County...
Satellite Data Capturing Burned Acres Show Canada Wildfire Season off to Wild Start
Jun 6 2025 // While images of wildfires capture their ferocity, data can provide insight into how bad a fire season is. Such is the case with two graphics, powered by satellite data, that showcase a Canadian wildfire season off to a...
Canadian Wildfires Cause Unhealthy Air Quality in Midwest
Jun 4 2025 // Smoke from Canadian wildfires carried another day of poor air quality south of the border to the Midwest, where conditions in parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan were rated “very unhealthy” on...
Texas Lawmakers Pass Legislation to Improve Wildfire Preparedness
Jun 3 2025 // Texas lawmakers approved a series of bills this year that aim to better prepare Texas for wildfires and to mitigate their damage. The legislation includes a study on wildfire risk zones, increasing funding for rural...
Alberta Wildfires Shut About 7% of Canada’s Oil Production
Jun 3 2025 // Wildfires in Canada’s energy heartland of Alberta have shut down almost 350,000 barrels of daily heavy crude production — about 7% of the country’s output — as a major blaze near the province’s...
Wildfires in Alberta Pose Growing Threat to Canada’s Oil
May 30 2025 // Wildfires are threatening about 5% of Canada’s crude output as a blaze in Alberta’s oil sands region spreads and approaches major production sites. A total of 26 out-of-control fires are burning in the province...
Wildfire Experience Inspires New Contents Claims Insurtech
May 29 2025 // When Michael Balarezo emerged from the basement office of his Boulder, Colo., home in December 2021, smoke plumes from the nearby Marshall Fire were visible from his driveway. Balarezo, his wife and daughter swiftly stowed...
First Heat Wave of Season to Bake West, Increasing Wildfire Risk
May 27 2025 // Extreme heat levels of are expected in the western United States later this week, raising the risk wildfires and heat-related illnesses and putting a strain on power grids. Meteorologists at AccuWeather say a strong dome...
Wildfires Erupt Near Alberta Oil Well Sites Amid Hot Weather
May 27 2025 // Hot weather sparked a string of wildfires around Alberta over the weekend, including some near oil and gas wells operated by Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. and others. Four out-of-control fires were burning in Alberta at...
Global Forest Loss Tops Record as Wildfires Drive Destruction
May 21 2025 // Global loss of tropical and boreal forests surged to a record high last year as unprecedented temperatures fueled fires, releasing more than four times the emissions of all air travel in 2023. That’s according to the...
Swiss Re Profits Up Despite Losses from California Wildfires
May 16 2025 // Swiss Re AG’s profit rose in the first quarter as losses from the California wildfires were offset by positive performance across the business. Net income increased to $1.3 billion from $1.1 billion a year earlier,...
Conflagration’s role in the wildfire equation
May 16 2025 // This post is part of a series sponsored by Cotality. There’s a blurry line between where a wildfire ends and a conflagration begins. But, without an understanding of both types of fires, their dynamics, and their...
LA County Wildfire Alert Mistakenly Sent to Millions Due to Tech Glitch
May 15 2025 // A technological glitch caused an emergency alert to be mistakenly sent to millions of Los Angeles County residents in January rather than only those in the proximity of a wildfire, according to a congressional report. The...
German Reinsurers Report Q1 Profits Down Sharply on Los Angeles Wildfire Claims
May 13 2025 // Germany’s largest reinsurers, Munich Re and Hannover Re, reported sharp declines in first-quarter profit on Tuesday after a combined 1.7 billion euros ($1.89 billion) in claims relating to the Los Angeles wildfires...
Family of Helicopter Pilot Killed in California Wildfire Reaches $15M Settlement
May 13 2025 // The family of a helicopter pilot who died when his helicopter crashed while fighting a wildfire in Southern California reached a $15 million settlement with the company that maintained the aircraft, their attorneys...
Lemonade Posts Q1 Loss on Wildfires, Spending; Auto Product Positioned to Grow
May 6 2025 // Insurtech Lemonade reported a first quarter 2025 net loss of about $62.4 million compared to a loss of $47.3 million a year ago during the same time. The decline, according to a letter to shareholders, was due primarily to...
Travelers Income Drops 65% on Catastrophe Losses, Primarily California Wildfires
May 5 2025 // The Travelers Cos. said first-quarter 2025 fell 65% on an underwriting loss of $305 million. Travelers posted first-quarter net income of about $395 million compared to about $1.1 billion during Q1 2024. The underwriting...
