Latest Wildfire Headlines
All the headlines from our Wildfire Topic Page, ordered by recency.
PG&E Expecting over $6B in Costs from California Wildfire
Nov 8 2019 // Pacific Gas & Electric is reporting substantial losses for the third quarter, driven by catastrophic wildfires that have been blamed on the utility’s outdated transmission lines. The company anticipates those...
Typhoon Hagibis to Cost Japan’s Economy $10B, with Insured Losses in Billions: Aon
Nov 8 2019 // Typhoon Hagibis is likely to become one of 2019’s costliest events, with economic costs of more than US$10 billion and insured losses minimally in the billions, according to Aon’s monthly catastrophe...
California Town Devastated by Wildfire Rebuilds, But Is It Any Safer a Year Later
Nov 7 2019 // There was “no way in hell” Victoria Sinclaire was rebuilding in Paradise, Calif. She’d thought she was going to die during the six hours it took her to escape the deadliest and most destructive wildfire...
PG&E Extending Deadline for California Wildfire Damage Claims
Nov 6 2019 // Pacific Gas & Electric has agreed to extend by two months the deadline to file claims against the company for damages suffered from a series of wildfires in California. Lawyers for the victims asked to extend the...
Boosting Resilience to U.S. Wildfires Should Be Insurance Industry Priority: I.I.I.
Nov 6 2019 // Nearly a year after the deadliest and costliest wildfire in U.S. history, insurers and the customers they cover are revisiting how to reduce their collective exposure to this risk, according to the Insurance Information...
Quake Confirmed in Northern California Area Burned by Wildfire
Nov 5 2019 // A small earthquake has rattled a Northern California wine region where a huge wildfire was burning, the United States Geological Survey confirmed. The USGS reported the quake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.2 struck at...
Wildfire Season Rages on in Southern California as Thousands Flee
Nov 1 2019 // A wildfire that erupted overnight near Los Angeles has forced 7,500 people to flee as the tail end of a powerful windstorm takes its a final swing at Southern California. The blaze in Ventura County ripped through more...
Australia Faces More Severe Cyclones, Wildfires, Floods as Climate Warms: IAG
Nov 1 2019 // Australia faces the prospect of more severe cyclones, wildfires and floods as the climate warms, the nation’s largest insurer said. A 3 degree Celsius increase in global temperatures will lead to higher intensity...
CEO Greenberg Says Chubb Has Been Able to ‘Reshape Portfolio’ in Wildfire Zones
Nov 1 2019 // Some insurers may be facing sizable risks stemming from the latest round of California wildfires now raging, but Chubb Chairman and CEO Evan Greenberg insists his company isn’t one of them. “We do have a quota...
A.M. Best Says Insurers Challenged by ‘New Normal’ of California Wildfires
Oct 31 2019 // While the number of burned acres in 2019 is still well below the number reported last year through October, experts predict the greatest fire potential will occur from now through December as the Santa Ana winds pick up,...
Groups, Officials Pen Letter to 3 Large California Insurers Asking Them to Ditch Fossil Fuels
Oct 31 2019 // Several dozen activist groups, businesses and elected representatives released a letter on Thursday to the CEOs of Liberty Mutual, AIG and Farmers calling on the three biggest fire insurers in California to stop fueling...
Another $550M in Properties at Immediate Risk in 3 California Blazes, Report Shows
Oct 30 2019 // A catastrophe modeler released figures on Wednesday showing how costly ongoing California blazes could potentially be as blustery winds make for increasingly dangerous fire risk up and down the state. Damages from the...
PG&E Open to Extending California Wildfire Victim Claims Deadline
Oct 29 2019 // PG&E Corp. told a judge it’s willing to extend the deadline for victims of wildfires caused by the utility’s equipment to file claims in its bankruptcy. U.S. District Judge James Donato criticized the...
This Wildfire Metric Threatens to Upend PG&E’s Restructuring Plan
Oct 29 2019 // PG&E Corp. investors looking to learn their fate may not get the answer from the bankrupt power company. Instead, the key data point could pop up within days on the website of California’s forestry...
California Wildfire Damage at $25.4B and Rising
Oct 29 2019 // Damages from the fires ripping across California stand at $25.4 billion, and they’re bound to keep rising. The Kincade fire has cost $10.6 billion, while the tally in Southern California is $14.8 billion mainly from...
PG&E Power Shutoffs Hit 2.7M as California Wildfires Burn
Oct 28 2019 // Mass power shutoffs by PG&E Corp. left more than 2.7 million Californians in the dark Sunday, the state’s largest deliberate blackout ever, as the bankrupt utility tries to keep its equipment from igniting...
California Braces for Biggest Blackout Yet as Massive Wildfire Burns
Oct 25 2019 // As wildfires rage and utilities race to restore power, the worst may be yet to come for California residents. PG&E Corp. has restored power to about 165,000 customers in portions of 18 counties, or about 93% of those...
IBHS Chief Continues to Ask Congress to Embrace Tax Credits for Climate Resilience
Oct 24 2019 // The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety has its eye on more than just helping improve safety on the roads and in homes. The climate and severe weather have also been on the IBHS radar lately. Roy E. Wright,...
500K-Plus Californians Lose Power; Large Wildfire Rages
Oct 24 2019 // More than half a million people have lost power across California as part of a deliberate blackout designed to keep power lines from igniting wildfires. Meanwhile, a major blaze has already erupted. PG&E Corp. and...
PG&E’s Latest Planned Power Cutoffs Could Impact Thousands of Californians
Oct 23 2019 // People in more than 180,000 homes and businesses in California could find themselves in the dark as Pacific Gas & Electric again plans to shut off power in parts of 17 counties for up to two days, as a preventive...
