Latest Wildfire Headlines
All the headlines from our Wildfire Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Judge Wants PG&E Power Restrictions for Next California Wildfire Season
Jan 10 2019 // A U.S. judge has proposed restricting utility PG&E Corp from using power lines deemed to be unsafe during high winds in the 2019 California fire season, adding another complication for the California utility as it...
California Governor Proposes $150M in Wildfire Investments, 911 Fee
Jan 10 2019 // California Gov. Gavin Newsom has pledged fresh investments to prevent, fight and escape wildfires, including millions to help local governments improve their communication during emergencies and a fee to fund an update for...
Wildfires, Dynamex Dominate California Wholesaler Conference
Jan 8 2019 // Wildfires and the Dynamex decision. Those two topics dominated discussions at an insurance wholesaler conference this week. The California Wholesaler Association conference in La Jolla, Calif. from Sunday through today...
California Wildfires, Hurricane Michael Top List of 2018’s Costliest Natural Disasters: Munich Re
Jan 8 2019 // The costliest natural catastrophes occurred in the United States in 2018 with one of California’s devastating wildfires and Hurricane Michael topping the list, according to Munich Re. A report from Munich Re on last...
Allstate, State Farm, USAA Sue California Utility Over Wildfires
Jan 8 2019 // Several insurance companies have filed lawsuits blaming Pacific Gas & Electric Co. for a deadly California wildfire that destroyed 14,000 homes and triggered billions of dollars in insurance claims. The lawsuits filed...
California Utility’s Bankruptcy Talk Sets Stage for Showdown with State
Jan 7 2019 // In weighing a bankruptcy, power giant PG&E Corp. may be firing a warning shot to California lawmakers: Help us or watch the largest utility in your state go insolvent. The company is considering whether to file for...
Western Region Could See Action on Disaster Mitigation, Independent Contractors, Workers’ Comp
Jan 7 2019 // Most eyeballs were on California during the midterm elections in November, with polar opposite candidates facing off in the race for governor as well as the office of insurance commissioner. As in most years, Democrats...
5 Lessons to Take Away from the California Wildfires
Jan 7 2019 // The California wildfires of 2018 were devastating, burning hundreds of thousands of acres, costing numerous lives and destroying thousands of properties. The California Department of Insurance in early December put the...
AM Best: Negative Rating Implications from Wildfires for California Capital and Subsidiaries
Jan 7 2019 // AM Best has placed under review with negative implications the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings of “a-” of California Capital Insurance Co. and its...
California Wildfires: Where Do We Go From Here?
Jan 2 2019 // This post is part of a series sponsored by CoreLogic. The last few months of 2018 were record-setting and heartbreaking for the survivors of wildfires in California. The Camp Fire in Butte County quickly became the most...
Prosecutors Say California Fires May Mean PG&E Violated Criminal Sentence
Jan 2 2019 // A California utility’s role in igniting wildfires last year could allow a judge to find that it violated terms of its criminal sentence in a 2010 gas pipeline explosion that killed eight people, federal prosecutors...
Lawyers Scramble to Get Piece of the Action in California Wildfire Lawsuits
Dec 31 2018 // In a conference room 13 miles from Paradise, California, Doug Boxer explains to survivors of the state’s worst wildfire why they should choose his law firm to sue PG&E Corp. He walks a fine line between listening...
Insurance Journal West’s Top Stories for 2018: California Commissioner Race, Hawaii Lava, Wildfire Losses
Dec 31 2018 // Another year down, and too many fascinating news headlines to count. Hawaii’s lava, the race for California insurance commissioner, and a $23 million ruling in a lawsuit against Geico were among the most popular...
Most Insurers to Increase Payments to California Wildfire Victims Without Itemization
Dec 28 2018 // California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones said this week that most insurers were following a notice he issued requesting that residential property insurers provide at least 75 percent and up to 100 percent of contents...
5 Lessons to Take Away from the California Wildfires
Dec 28 2018 // Powered by InsuranceJournal.tv The California wildfires of 2018 were devastating, burning hundreds of thousands of acres, costing numerous lives and destroying thousands of properties. The California Department of...
A.M. Best: Negative Rating Implications from Wildfires for California Capital And Subsidiaries
Dec 21 2018 // AM Best has placed under review with negative implications the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings of “a-” of California Capital Insurance Co. and its...
Power Restored to Last of 10K Paradise Residents Hit by California Wildfire
Dec 21 2018 // A Northern California utility says it has restored power interrupted by a wildfire six weeks ago to all customers able to receive it. Pacific Gas & Electric said this week the last of about 10,000 residents of Paradise...
Assessing Wildfires’ Impact on P/C Insurers’ 2018 Results
Dec 20 2018 // Fitch Ratings said it expects the November wildfires in California to have some but not great impact on property/casualty insurers’ year-end results and it anticipates limited or no rating actions due to the fires....
Allstate’s Shares Fall Under Weight of Wildfire Losses
Dec 17 2018 // Allstate Corp. tumbled for nine straight days, the longest string of losses since 2001, as coverage costs from the deadliest fires in California’s history are tallied. The company seemed to have “out-sized...
Deadly California ‘Firenado’ Explained in New Study
Dec 17 2018 // A rare fire tornado that raged during this summer’s deadly Carr Fire in Northern California was created by a combination of scorching weather, erratic winds and an ice-topped cloud that towered miles into the...
