Latest Wildfire Headlines
All the headlines from our Wildfire Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Loss Creep Spells End to Soft Reinsurance Market: Guy Carpenter
Sep 10 2019 // Extended development from North American hurricane losses and losses from non-peak perils like California wildfires have finally jolted reinsurers out of a soft reinsurance market, according to a report from reinsurance...
Outrage over PG&E’s Plan to Cap California Wildfire Liabilities at $18B
Sep 10 2019 // California utility giant PG&E Corp. has issued its long-awaited plan for emerging from the largest utility bankruptcy in U.S. history: Raise debt, offer equity and cap the wildfire liabilities that led to its collapse...
Burns & Wilcox to Offer Wildfire Management Services to Policyholders in the West
Sep 9 2019 // Burns & Wilcox has formed an exclusive partnership with Wildfire Defense Systems, Inc. (WDS) to provide WDS’ full suite of wildfire prevention and mitigation services to homeowners, with no minimum property value...
Wildfires Making Insurance Harder to Find, California Department of Insurance Says
Sep 2 2019 // Severe wildfire seasons have made it harder for homeowners to find insurance in high wildfire-risk areas, according to new data collected by the California Department of Insurance. The data released in late-August from the...
Fire Official Says Oregon Wildfire Risk Map Flawed
Aug 28 2019 // A fire official says a wildfire risk map being created by Deschutes County, the home of Bend, Oregon, underestimates fire danger because it doesn’t take into account the danger when homes catch fire in densely built...
Evacuations Lifted in Wildfire Along California-Nevada Border
Aug 27 2019 // Authorities say a fast-moving wildfire on rural land along the California-Nevada border burned one home before crews were able to slow its spread. Fire spokesman Adam Mayberry says the blaze about 25 miles north of Reno,...
Firefighters Make Progress on Alaska Wildfire
Aug 27 2019 // Firefighters are making progress on an Alaska wildfire that has claimed 51 homes. Nearly 450 firefighters working the fire about 70 miles north of Alaska’s largest city brought it to 46 percent containment Monday, up...
Alaska Wildfire Threatening Community Businesses
Aug 26 2019 // A wildfire in south-central Alaska has threatened multiple businesses in a nearby community, officials said. At least 51 homes and three businesses have been destroyed in a wildfire burning north of Anchorage. Another 84...
California Utility Wants Help Paying Wildfire Victims
Aug 23 2019 // A troubled California utility company is asking the state Legislature to let it borrow money without paying taxes so it can compensate victims of a devastating wildfire caused by its equipment. Pacific Gas & Electric...
Guy Carpenter Tapped for California Wildfire Fund Reinsurance Program
Aug 22 2019 // Guy Carpenter & Company LLC has been named the sole reinsurance intermediary for the newly formed California Wildfire Fund, which is currently being administered by the California Earthquake Authority. Guy Carpenter...
Wildfires Making Insurance Harder to Find, California Department of Insurance Says
Aug 21 2019 // Severe wildfire seasons have made it harder for homeowners to find insurance in high wildfire-risk areas, according to new data collected by the California Department of Insurance. The data released this week from the CDI...
Spain Reports Progress in Battling Canary Island Wildfire
Aug 21 2019 // The wind dropped overnight in the Canary Islands, allowing firefighters to make progress Tuesday against Spain’s biggest wildfire so far this year. Canary Islands President Angel Victor Torres said 16 water-dropping...
Texas A&M Forest Service Activates Airtanker Base to Help Combat Wildfires
Aug 21 2019 // In response to rising wildfire activity across the state, the Texas A&M Forest Service is opening the Austin Airtanker Base at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Significant fire activity has increased recently,...
PG&E Will Face Jury Over Billions in Damages from Massive California Wildfire
Aug 20 2019 // Victims of the second-most destructive fire in California history will get a chance to try and persuade a jury that PG&E Corp. should pay them as much as $18 billion in damages. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Dennis Montali on...
Number of Wildfires Down in Louisiana Over 10-Year Period
Aug 20 2019 // The number of wildfires in Louisiana has dropped significantly over the past decade, agriculture and forestry officials say. According to records, Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) firefighters...
IICF Awards $50K Grant to California Fire Foundation for Victims
Aug 19 2019 // The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation’s Western Division presented a $50,000 grant to the California Fire Foundation’s Supplying Aid to Victims of Emergency program on Aug. 16. The grant is to support...
PG&E Shares Dive on Risk of up to $18B in Wildfire Lawsuit Costs
Aug 19 2019 // PG&E Corp. shares plunged Monday after a judge ruled that a jury can determine whether it should pay as much as $18 billion in damages to wildfire victims. The California utility giant fell as much 28%, to $10.22, at...
Underwriters Get Picky and Other Trends in Construction Insurance
Aug 19 2019 // Construction insurance specialists say their insurance market is strong with plenty of capacity and underwriters competing for the best accounts. According to specialists interviewed by Insurance Journal for their...
Edison International to Face Trial Over Woolsey Wildfire Claim in April
Aug 19 2019 // The first trial to determine if Edison International’s Southern California utility is liable for damages from the Woolsey wildfire that tore through Malibu last year will begin on April 27, a judge said. California...
Report: Re/Insurers Are Reconsidering Risk Appetite for California Wildfires
Aug 19 2019 // S&P Global Ratings says 2020 reinsurance pricing in the aftermath of California wildfires will likely rise as re/insurers are finding 2017-2018 losses from wildfires in that state to be higher than expected. The...
