Latest Wildfire Headlines
All the headlines from our Wildfire Topic Page, ordered by recency.
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...
Poll: High Cost of Living Fears Were Made Worse by LA Wildfires
May 5 2025 // The high cost of living remains a main concern in America’s largest exacerbated by the January wildfires is one of the biggest worries bothering residents of Los Angeles County. A survey focused on the county, the...
California Sets Aside $170M to Thin Vegetation, Forests to Help Prevent Wildfires
May 5 2025 // Gov. Gavin Newsom signed new legislation on Monday that will provide more than $170 million in state funding to help prevent wildfires while signing an order aimed at speeding up the work by easing environmental...
Hawaii Lawmakers Pass HECO Bill to Invest in Wildfire Mitigation
May 2 2025 // Hawaii lawmakers this week passed a bill intended to help shore up Hawaiian Electric Co.’s credit rating despite strong opposition from House and Senate committee chairs who helped vet the measure. The bill would...
AIG Q1 Underwriting Income More Than Halved on Wildfire Losses
May 1 2025 // First quarter underwriting income in AIG’s General Insurance segment dropped 59% compared to last year, to $243 million. The unit—North America commercial, International commercial, and global personal—recorded...
Bill to Address California Wildfire And Insurance Crises Moving Through Legislature
Apr 30 2025 // A California Assembly committee advanced a bill designed to deal with the state’s wildfire and insurance crises. The California Safe Homes Act, Assembly Bill 888, passed out of the Assembly Insurance Committee on a...
With Wildfire Suits Looming, Edison Beats Estimates on Lower Expenses, Rate Hikes
Apr 30 2025 // Edison International beat Wall Street estimates for first-quarter profit on Tuesday, as the utility benefited from lower operating and interest expenses and higher rates for its services. Lower interest rates reduce...
Arch Capital’s First-Quarter Profit Halves on LA Wildfire Losses
Apr 30 2025 // Arch Capital’s first-quarter profit fell 49.2% as catastrophe losses from the California wildfires weighed on its underwriting performance and investment returns, the insurer said on Tuesday. The results mirror those...
LA Utility Returns to Muni Market for First Time Since Wildfires
Apr 30 2025 // The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is returning to the municipal bond market with a $1 billion offering, roughly three months after shelving a sale in the immediate wake of historic wildfires that began burning...
New Jersey Wildfire 75% Contained; Crews to Remain on Scene Until ‘Significant’ Rain
Apr 29 2025 // The New Jersey Forest Fire Service reported continued progress in fighting the Jones River wildfire, with the fire being 75% contained by noon on Monday, April 28. Officials said crews will remain on the scene for the next...
New Jersey’s Jones Road Wildfire Now 65% Contained
Apr 28 2025 // The New Jersey Forest Fire Service has continued to make progress fighting the Jones River wildfire. The service reported the fire was 65% contained by Sunday morning April 27. However, the service repeated a warning from...
California Wildfire Losses Cause 16% Fall in The Hartford’s Q1 Net Income
Apr 25 2025 // Net income at The Hartford decreased 16% to $630 million in the first quarter 2025, driven by losses from the California wildfires. Property/casualty catastrophe losses for Q1 2025 were $467 million pretax—$325 million,...
Lawmakers Agree to Pay $807M Into Lahaina Wildfires Settlement Fund
Apr 25 2025 // It’s not often that applause breaks out in the audience after a vote at the Hawaiʻi Legislature, but that one afternoon this week. The measure was House Bill 1001, and the subject was settling claims related to the...
Heavily-Forested New Hampshire Enters Wildfire Season
Apr 25 2025 // Despite rain statewide this month, the New Hampshire Forest Protection Bureau reports that 72% of the Granite State is currently experiencing abnormally dry conditions. The bureau is reminding the public that spring is the...
