Latest Wildfire Headlines
All the headlines from our Wildfire Topic Page, ordered by recency.
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...
One of 86 Victims Of California’s Deadliest Wildfire Identified
Aug 19 2019 // One of 86 people who were killed in the deadliest wildfire in California history has been identified. The Butte County Sheriff’s office said on Friday it positively identified the remains of 68-year-old Judith Sipher...
ISO, Intterra, Western Fire Chiefs Partner to Better Understand Wildfire Risk
Aug 19 2019 // ISO and Intterra are partnering with the Western Fire Chiefs Association to explore new ways of analyzing and understanding wildfire risk. Intterra has worked with the WFCA for several years to develop the Fire Data Lab, a...
Outside Inspectors Find Tree Hazards That PG&E Contractors Overlooked
Aug 16 2019 // PG&E Corp.’s court-appointed compliance monitor concluded the utility isn’t trimming trees that pose wildfire threats in high-risk areas of California and didn’t train its contractors properly. The...
Emergency Crews From Denmark Helping Greenland with Wildfires
Aug 15 2019 // As scientists warn that Greenland is melting at a record pace, the island is relying on emergency services from outside its borders to help it extinguish a wildfire. Denmark will send 38 firefighters to Greenland to help...
Northern California Wildfire Victims Can File Claims With PG&E
Aug 14 2019 // People affected by wildfires in Northern California in 2017 and 2018 can soon file claims for housing assistance and other immediate needs with Pacific Gas & Electric Co. They can file their claims online through the...
California Group Seeking Legislative Action on Wildfires
Aug 12 2019 // A broad California coalition is calling for support for package of bills to create a California Wildfire Warning Center, develop more skilled firefighters and establish defensible space standards Action for Wildfire...
Germany’s Forests Damaged by Droughts and Wildfires, Stoking Climate Debate
Aug 12 2019 // Germany’s forests – long a source of pride and national identity – are feeling the heat. A second consecutive year of unusually dry and warm weather has left swaths of dead and dying trees, fueling fears that the...
