Latest Wildfire Headlines
All the headlines from our Wildfire Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Travelers Beefing Up Wildfire Protection After 2018 California Blazes
Jun 14 2019 // Travelers Cos. is strengthening its wildfire-defense efforts after deadly blazes swept through California last year. The insurer is adding a service to all of its California home and landlord policies, helping customers...
Wyoming Expecting Average Wildfire Conditions
Jun 13 2019 // Average conditions are predicted for the Wyoming wildfire season this year, but officials say they expect the season to be less severe than last year. Wyoming Public Radio reports State Forester Bill Crapser says fire...
PG&E in California Proactively Cuts Power Because of Weather
Jun 10 2019 // Pacific Gas & Electric implemented a controversial practice of cutting power to selected portions of Northern California on Saturday to guard against wildfires as the weather turned very windy, dry and hot. Electricity...
Bankruptcy Judge Approves PG&E $105 Million Assistance Fund for Wildfire Victims
Jun 3 2019 // PG&E Corp. may set up a $105 million housing fund for victims of 2017 and 2018 wildfires in California, which set records for devastation and were blamed on the utility’s equipment, the judge overseeing the...
PG&E Restructuring Plan Upped to $45B by Creditors
May 31 2019 // A group of PG&E Corp. creditors could preempt the embattled California utility’s own attempt to claw its way out of bankruptcy by presenting a restructuring plan that could be worth at least $45 billion,...
California Utility Regulator OKs PG&E’s Wildfire Mitigation Plan
May 30 2019 // A Wildfire Mitigation Plan submitted by Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. was approved by the California Public Utilities Commission on Thursday. The state Legislature in 2018 enacted Senate Bill 901 mandating action by the...
California Commissioner Wants Insurers to Extend Living Expense Coverage for 2017 Wildfire Survivors
May 29 2019 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara on Wednesday announced two new actions intended to assist survivors of the 2017 North Bay Fires who are facing unavoidable delays in rebuilding. The California Department of...
California Does Not Have a Wildfire Insurance Crisis
May 29 2019 // It’s understandable that wildfire is on the top of mind for California lawmakers this session. Coming on the heels of the 2017 wildfire season that saw $13.2 billion in insured losses, the fires last November that...
Bankruptcy Judge Approves PG&E $105 Million Assistance Fund for Wildfire Victims
May 23 2019 // PG&E Corp. may set up a $105 million housing fund for victims of 2017 and 2018 wildfires in California, which set records for devastation and were blamed on the utility’s equipment, the judge overseeing the...
Wood-Panel Producer Norbord Halts Mill Production Following Alberta Wildfires
May 22 2019 // Norbord Inc said on Tuesday it suspended production at its oriented strand board (OSB) mill in High Level, Alberta, to comply with evacuation orders following nearby wildfires. More than 4,000 people from High Level and...
Nevada Reaches Tentative Settlement Homeowners and Insurers in Wildfire Suit
May 21 2019 // The state of Nevada has reached a tentative settlement with dozens of homeowners and insurance companies that filed an $80 million negligence lawsuit after a fire destroyed 24 homes when strong winds reignited a smoldering...
Investigators Blame PG&E Lines for Deadliest Wildfire in California History
May 15 2019 // State fire investigators have determined that transmission lines owned by Pacific Gas & Electric Co caused the deadliest and most destructive wildfire on record in California, a blaze that killed 85 people last year,...
X Prize Developing Wildfire-Fighting Contest
May 14 2019 // The X Prize Foundation is developing a contest for technology that can detect and extinguish wildfires before they grow too large. X Prize Foundation chairman Peter Diamandis made the announcement at the Near Future Summit...
California May Go Dark This Summer; Most Aren’t Ready
May 13 2019 // A plan by California’s biggest utility to cut power on high-wind days during the onrushing wildfire season could plunge millions of residents into darkness. And the vast majority isn’t ready for it. The plan by...
$10B Fund for California Fire Costs May Dry Up by 2030
May 10 2019 // California has for months been weighing the idea of a fund that utilities could dip into when facing crippling costs tied to wildfires. On Wednesday, state lawmakers got a feel for how big that fund would have to...
Insurance Department: Claims from Deadly California Wildfires Top $12B
May 9 2019 // Insurance claims have topped $12 billion for the November wildfires in California, making them the most expensive in state history. The figure released on May 8 by Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara covers the fire that...
Judge Tells PG&E’s Board to Tour Wildfire-Ravaged California Town
May 8 2019 // A federal judge has ordered board members of Pacific Gas & Electric to tour the Northern California town of Paradise, which was leveled by a wildfire that may have been caused by the utility’s equipment. The...
Insured Losses from November 2018 California Wildfires Top $12B
May 8 2019 // Insured losses from the most destructive wildfire month in California’s history climbed $614 million in the first three months of the year, pushing total claims over $12 billion as of April, the California Department...
Busy Wildfire Season Along West Coast: Forecast
May 3 2019 // Most of the country can expect a normal wildfire season but residents along the West Coast of the United States should be ready for another busy season, the National Interagency Fire Center said this week. California...
House Passes Climate Now Act, But What’s The Next Step?
May 2 2019 // The U.S. must take an active role in mitigating climate change on the global stage. So says the U.S. House of Representatives, which voted today on H.R. 9, the Climate Action Now Act. The bill, which passed 231-190,...
