Latest Wildfire Headlines
All the headlines from our Wildfire Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Authorities: At Least $3B to Clear Debris from Homes Destroyed By California Wildfires
Dec 14 2018 // State and federal authorities estimate that it will cost at least $3 billion to clear debris from 19,000 homes and businesses destroyed by three California wildfires last month. The disaster relief officials said the...
California Regulators to Look at New Blackout Rules to Prevent Deadly Wildfires
Dec 14 2018 // California regulators have decided they need to step in and help determine when power blackouts are appropriate to prevent wildfires after a series of deadly blazes linked to electrical equipment. Utilities PG&E Corp.,...
California Commissioner Wants Insurers to Waive Inventory Requirement for Wildfire Victims
Dec 13 2018 // California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones is asking residential insurers to pay at least 75 percent and up to 100 percent of personal property or contents coverage in the event of a total loss without requiring...
Allstate Says Losses from California Fires $670M, CEO Wants to Address Climate Change
Dec 13 2018 // Allstate this week announced estimated catastrophe losses for the month of November 2018 of $685 million, pre-tax ($541 million, after-tax). Catastrophe losses occurring in November comprised six events at an estimated...
The PURE Group Expands Excess & Surplus Lines Offering Into California
Dec 13 2018 // The PURE Group has expanded its excess & surplus (E&S) high net worth offering, PURE Programs, into California. The coverage is tailored to high value, high-risk homes with broader coverage than is typically found...
Official Figure on Insured Losses for 2018 California Wildfires Reaches $9B
Dec 12 2018 // The official tally for insured losses from this year’s major California wildfires is $9.05 billion – for now. California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones on Wednesday released official figures for losses from the...
AM Best Downgrades Ratings of Mercury in California, Wildfires a Factor
Dec 12 2018 // AM Best has downgraded the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) to A (Excellent) from A+ (Superior) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings (Long-Term ICR) to “a+” from “aa-” for the members of Los...
PG&E Gives Details on Tower Damage at Heart of California Fire Probe
Dec 12 2018 // PG&E Corp. revealed that on the day California’s deadliest and most destructive wildfire started, its workers saw damage and a fire near one of its transmission towers, which are the focus of investigations and a...
Firms to Pay $9M to Settle Suit Over Damages in 2012 California Wildfire
Dec 12 2018 // Officials say a construction company and a logging firm have collectively agreed to pay $9 million for damages resulting from a 2012 wildfire that burned more than 1,600 acres of national forest land in Northern...
Utilities to Cover Power Lines, Expand Weather Monitoring in High Risk Areas
Dec 12 2018 // California utilities plan to insulate power lines, increase inspections and build new weather stations in areas at high risk for wildfires in an effort to combat increasingly destructive blazes. Southern California Edison...
Sweden’s Wildfires Highlight Cost of Rapidly Changing Climate in Europe
Dec 12 2018 // Hannele Arvonen, the owner of one of Sweden’s largest lumber yards, is spending the winter months planning for a new and unexpected threat to her business: regular wildfires raging just south of the Arctic...
PG&E Sued for Ad Spending Instead of on Preventing Events Like the California Wildfire
Dec 11 2018 // PG&E Corp. was accused of putting its “reputation above public safety” in a lawsuit alleging that the power company spends too much on advertising and not enough on preventing devastating Northern...
Online Sleuthing Skills Help in Wake of California Wildfire
Dec 11 2018 // They have become known as the Angels of Paradise. But there is nothing ethereal about them. They are online sleuths who know how to find people, and they have been putting their skills to use in the aftermath of...
Markel CATCo Reports U.S., Bermuda Inquiries into Reserves
Dec 9 2018 // On Friday Dec .7, Markel Corp. said it was fully cooperating with inquiries by U.S. and Bermuda authorities into loss reserves recorded in late 2017 and early 2018 at Markel CATCo Investment Management Ltd., the...
Deadly California ‘Firenado’ Explained in New Study
Dec 7 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...
Aon Cites Need for Mitigation as Insured Wildfire Losses Top $10B for Second Year
Dec 7 2018 // Total aggregated economic losses for the wildfires that have burned across Northern and Southern California throughout the month are expected to minimally exceed $10 billion, while insurance claims payouts for wildfires...
Modeler: Insured Losses from Camp Wildfire in California at $6B to $9B
Dec 6 2018 // Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide estimates that industry insured losses from the Camp Fire in Northern California will be between $6 billion and $9 billion, and taken together with the Woolsey fire in Southern...
California Attorney General Brought into PG&E Wildfire Probe
Dec 6 2018 // California Attorney General Xavier Becerra was asked by a federal judge to weigh in on whether reckless operation of power lines by PG&E Corp. in connection with deadly Northern California wildfires would constitute a...
Farmers Expects $2.1B in Claims from California Wildfires
Dec 5 2018 // Farmers Insurance expects $2.1 billion in claims from the California wildfires in November. The Los Angeles, Calif.-based carrier said it has so far received more than 9,000 claims combined for the Camp Fire in Northern...
Schools Open 3 Weeks After Northern California Wildfire
Dec 4 2018 // Monday marked a return to school and some semblance of routine for thousands of children who lost their homes to a deadly wildfire in Northern California. Schools in Butte County have been closed since Nov. 8, when the...
