Latest Wildfire Headlines

All the headlines from our Wildfire Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Experts Predict Mild Alaska Wildfire Season

Apr 28 2009 // Fire forecasters for the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center are predicting a rather mild wildfire season this summer. However, Dave Curry, manager of the agency that coordinates firefighting efforts for the state,...

South Carolina Gov. Sanford Backs Cut in Wildfire Fighting Budget

Apr 27 2009 // South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford is not backing down from his proposal to trim $1 million in state spending from wildfire fighting, even as damages mount in a fire near Myrtle Beach. Sanford spokesman Joel Sawyer said that...

Wildfire Burns Homes Near South Carolina’s Myrtle Beach

Apr 24 2009 // A coastal wildfire spread early Thursday toward one of the busiest tourist stretches in South Carolina, burning dozens of homes and forcing hundreds to flee in the middle of the night. No injuries were reported. Police...

California AIG Sylmar Wildfire Survivors To Receive Additional Coverage

Apr 22 2009 // The California Department of Insurance (CDI) has secured between $37 million and $46 million in additional coverage from AIG for Sayre Fire survivors in Sylmar. Commissioner Poizner was joined by Los Angeles City...

Oklahoma Wildfire Damage Estimates Increased to $30M

Apr 20 2009 // An Oklahoma insurance official says insured losses from recent wildfires that destroyed more than 100 structures in Oklahoma are expected to reach $30 million. Assistant Insurance Commissioner Marc Young says that figure...

The Weather Goblins

Apr 20 2009 // Who let the weather goblins out? Tornadoes, wildfires and floods, oh my! With all the weather related disasters out in full force this (and seemingly every) spring, there should be some kind of scary, Halloween-type...

Declarations

Apr 20 2009 // A Devastating Experience “Losing everything is an unimaginable and devastating experience. … Oklahoma’s professional agents and adjusters are poised to respond.” —Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner...

The Weather Goblins

Apr 20 2009 // Who let the weather goblins out? Tornadoes, wildfires and floods, oh my! With all the weather related disasters out in full force this (and seemingly every) spring, there should be some kind of scary, Halloween-type...

Arizona’s Wildfire Season Poses Risks for Homeowners

Apr 20 2009 // As the drought in the Southwest worsens, the wildfire season in Arizona grows longer, burning more acreage and threatening private property in forested areas. “The Arizona State Forestry Division estimates more than...

Governor Requests Emergency Declaration for 199 Texas Counties

Apr 14 2009 // Texas Governor Rick Perry has requested FEMA to issue an emergency declaration for 199 Texas counties based on the threat of wildfires. Perry also has authorized additional state resources to combat the ongoing wildfires...

Oklahoma Commissioner Declares Emergency After Wildfires

Apr 13 2009 // Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Kim Holland has declared a state of emergency to allow insurance companies to more rapidly respond to the recent Oklahoma wildfires. The declaration enables emergency adjusters to be...

Wildfires Burn Tens of Thousands of Acres Across Texas

Apr 10 2009 // Smoke from wildfires burning across North and West Texas is blowing into Austin and other locations in the center of the state, and Dallas-area residents are under an air-quality warning as a result of the fires. The Texas...

Texas Wildfire Destroys Homes; Firefighters Hurt by Smoke Inhalation

Apr 6 2009 // The Texas Forest Services says 24 firefighters have been treated for smoke inhalation from fighting Texas wildflires, near the Panhandle town of Wheeler, where four homes have been lost and an estimated 20 homes damaged in...

Arizona’s Wildfire Season Poses Many Risks for Homeowners

Apr 1 2009 // As the drought in the Southwest worsens, the wildfire season in Arizona grows longer, burning more acreage and threatening private property in forested areas. “The Arizona State Forestry Division estimates more than...

Florida Receives $900K Stimulus Funds for Wildfire Prevention

Mar 17 2009 // Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles H. Bronson announced that his department has been awarded $900,000 under the federal stimulus plan to conduct wildfire prevention efforts. The funding, which...

Wildfire Threat in Mississippi High

Mar 11 2009 // A Mississippi forestry official says property owners should be cautious when burning leaves or brush because conditions are ripe for wildfires. Jimmy Mordica, director of conservation education and public outreach for the...

California Wildfires May Take Longer to Settle

Jan 11 2009 // Industry analysts are predicting insured losses from the Freeway Complex, Sayre and Tea Fires that burned Southern California in mid-November will range from $600 million to $800 million, as of estimates gathered in early...

California Hosts Insurance Recovery Forum for Wildfire Survivors

Jan 9 2009 // California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner is hosting town hall-style Insurance Recovery Forums for survivors of the November 2008 wildfires. The first of such town hall meetings was held Jan. 8 in Sylmar, Calif....

Catastrophe Losses Up 7% in 2008, Making It One of Costliest Years for Insurers

Dec 30 2008 // The high frequency and severity of Atlantic hurricanes in 2008, coupled with other weather-related and man-made losses, placed the year among the costliest on record for insured catastrophe losses. That’s according...

Farmers Insurance Claims California County Contributed to Wildfire Damage

Dec 19 2008 // The giant Farmers Insurance Group blames Santa Cruz County for contributing to the spread of the summertime Trabing wildfire, which destroyed dozens of homes. Farmers filed $3 million worth of claims saying the county...