Latest Wildfire Headlines
All the headlines from our Wildfire Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Correction: Southern California Edison Says Equipment May Have Sparked Wildfire
Oct 28 2020 // Southern California Edison said its equipment may have sparked a fast-moving wildfire that forced evacuation orders for some 100,000 people and seriously injured two firefighters on Monday as powerful winds across the...
Winds Fanned California Fires and Kept Thousands of Evacuees Away
Oct 27 2020 // Crews tried to beat back two out-of-control wildfires in Southern California on Tuesday that have kept tens of thousands of people out of their homes. Fierce winds that drove twin fires through brushy hills near cities in...
Washington Developing Wildfire Smoke Worker-Safety Rules
Oct 23 2020 // The Washington Department of Labor & Industries is developing new workplace safety and health rules regarding wildfire smoke. The L&I announced the move this week in response to an increasing number of acres burned...
Monitor: PG&E in California Prioritized Targets Over Reducing Wildfire Risk
Oct 22 2020 // PG&E Corp. prioritized meeting inspection targets over meaningful reduction of wildfire risk, according to a monitor overseeing the utility’s program of trimming trees and vegetation that pose a threat of...
California Could See More Fire-Prevention Power Shutoffs
Oct 21 2020 // Electricity may be shut off to 50,000 Northern California utility customers this week to try to prevent power lines from sparking and igniting new wildfires during a predicted new round of gusty, hot and dry...
New Mercury Insurance Programs Target California Homeowners’ Wildfire Risk
Oct 21 2020 // Mercury Insurance has launched two new programs designed to help Californians better protect their homes and families if they live in areas prone to wildfires. Homeowners who take one or more steps to either harden their...
Travelers Reports Strong 3Q with Profit More Than Doubling
Oct 20 2020 // The Travelers Companies had a strong third quarter, reporting net income grew to $827 million, up from $396 million in the prior year quarter. An increase in the quarter’s core income to $798 million compared to $378...
California Pledges to Protect Homeowners from Insurer Withdrawals Due to Wildfires
Oct 19 2020 // California’s insurance commissioner on Monday pledged to step up efforts to protect the state’s residents from wildfires and address a pullback of private insurers from the state’s riskiest...
Oregon Issues Wildfire Emergency Order and Bulletin for Insurers
Oct 19 2020 // The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services’ Division of Financial Regulation has issued a new wildfire emergency order. The order took effect after the current emergency order expired on Oct. 18. The...
California Commissioner Asks Insurers to Cover Wildfire Losses Sans Home Inventory
Oct 19 2020 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara is asking insurers to help wildfire survivors by providing up to 100% of personal property coverage limits without a detailed inventory to those who suffered a total loss of...
Should Upcoming California Commissioner’s Hearing on Wildfires Concern Insurers?
Oct 16 2020 // Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara will convene a “virtual investigatory hearing” on Monday to initiate a series of regulatory actions that will protect residents from the increasing risk of wildfires. Several...
California Heat Wave Prompts Power Shutdowns, Wildfire Danger
Oct 16 2020 // More than 50,000 California utility customers were without power and others around the state were urged to conserve electricity Thursday amid a fall heat wave that brought another round of extreme wildfire danger. The...
RenaissanceRe Estimates Net Negative Impact of $325M from Q3 Natural Catastrophes
Oct 14 2020 // RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. announced it estimates that natural catastrophes during the third quarter of 2020 will have a net negative impact of approximately $325 million. The estimated net negative impact is primarily...
Oregon Easing Some Asbestos Rules to Speed Wildfire Cleanup
Oct 12 2020 // Oregon officials are relaxing some requirements for handling ash and debris containing asbestos to speed work in removing debris from homes and buildings destroyed by wildfires. The Oregon Environmental Quality Commission...
Team Investigating Deadly California Wildfire Seizes PG&E Equipment
Oct 12 2020 // Fire investigators looking into what caused a wildfire that killed four people in far Northern California have taken possession of equipment belonging to Pacific Gas and Electric, the utility has reported. PG&E said in...
From Wildfires to Sally to China Floods, September Was a Disastrous Month
Oct 9 2020 // Third quarters are often the costliest of the year in terms natural disasters. Insurance broker Aon’s monthly Global Catastrophe Recap report, which evaluates the impact of the natural disaster events that occurred...
Washington Commissioner’s Climate Summit Highlighted Area, Global Vulnerabilities
Oct 8 2020 // “The insurance buying public wants to know that insurance is going to be available and affordable to them when they need it.” That was the take-home message from Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler,...
Rebuilding in Wildfire Zones: A One-Stop Shop for Wildfire Victims
Oct 6 2020 // California is on fire. Already this year, thousands of people have lost their homes, and communities are struggling to figure out how to rebuild. Nikki Pechet wants to be the person they turn to. Pechet co-founded...
California Commissioner Asks Insurers to Cover Wildfire Losses Sans Home Inventory
Oct 2 2020 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara is asking insurance companies help wildfire survivors by providing up to 100% of personal property coverage limits without a detailed inventory to those who suffered a total...
Report: Nearly 2M Homes at Elevated Risk of Wildfire
Sep 30 2020 // Nearly 2 million homes, mostly in the Western U.S., with a rebuilding value of more than $638 billion are at an elevated risk of wildfire damage, a report out today shows. An annual wildfire report from data provider...
