Latest Wildfire Headlines
All the headlines from our Wildfire Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Scientists Racing to Discover Depth of Ocean Damage From LA Wildfires
Feb 19 2025 // On a recent Sunday, Tracy Quinn drove down the Pacific Coast Highway to assess damage wrought upon the coastline by the Palisades Fire. The water line was darkened by ash. Burnt remnants of washing machines and dryers and...
Trump’s Hiring Freeze Throws Wildfire Fighters Into Disarray
Feb 18 2025 // Federal firefighters have found their jobs on the chopping block as a result of US President Donald Trump’s executive orders, with a hiring freeze simultaneously blocking reinforcements in the aftermath of the Los...
Texas Braces for Freezing Weather With Wildfire and Flood Risks
Feb 18 2025 // Several varieties of extreme weather are forecast for Texas this week as state officials monitor rising wildfire risks in West Texas and possible flash flooding in East Texas before frigid cold settles in across the state...
California Wildfire Mitigation And Recovery Bill Package Introduced
Feb 14 2025 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara and a group of state lawmakers are pushing a 10-bill legislative package designed to improve disaster preparedness and help protect wildfire survivors. The bills intended...
Insurers Have Now Paid Out Nearly $7B for LA Wildfires, Report Shows
Feb 13 2025 // Insurance companies have so far paid out more than $6.9 billion for losses from the biggest two of the Los Angeles-area wildfires that swept through the region and destroyed tens of thousands of homes last...
Mercury Expects to Lose $1.6B to $2B From LA Wildfires
Feb 13 2025 // Although Mercury Insurance Group expects gross losses from the 2025 California wildfires in the $1.6 billion-$2.0 billion range, potential subrogation and reinsurance recoveries will drop the ultimate bill down to $325...
Edison Utility Faces Shareholder Lawsuit Over LA Wildfires
Feb 12 2025 // The parent company of Southern California Edison has been sued for allegedly defrauding shareholders before the recent Los Angeles-area wildfires by assuring them it could shut down power lines to reduce the risk of...
Hawaiian Electric Welcomes Top Court’s Ruling on $4B Wildfire Settlement
Feb 12 2025 // Utility company Hawaiian Electric on Tuesday welcomed the Hawaii Supreme Court’s decision towards finalizing the more than $4 billion settlement related to the 2023 Maui wildfires saying it was favorable to the...
WDIS Launches Wildfire Only Coverage for E&S Commercial Property in California
Feb 12 2025 // Wildfire Defense Insurance Services Inc. has launched wildfire only coverage for E&S commercial property in California. The product is available for a range of commercial property classes of business. The target class...
California Approves FAIR Plan Request to Assess Insurers $1B for Wildfire Claims
Feb 11 2025 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara approved a California FAIR Plan request for a $1 billion assessment on admitted market insurers to cover claims from the Los Angeles wildfires. The FAIR Plan reported it has...
Travelers Expecting $1.7 Billion in Catastrophe Losses From LA Wildfires
Feb 11 2025 // Another major California insurer is reporting losses in excess of $1 billion from the Los Angeles area wildfires. The Travelers Companies Inc. announced Tuesday it will lose an estimated $1.7 billion from last...
What’s Tying Up $4B Settlement for Hawaii Wildfire Victims
Feb 11 2025 // Hawaii’s Supreme Court heard arguments last week over insurance issues that are tying up a potential $4 billion settlement over Maui’s catastrophic 2023 wildfire, the deadliest in the U.S. in more than a...
AccuWeather: Elevated Risk of Mudslides at LA Wildfire Burn Scars From Coming Storm
Feb 7 2025 // Meteorologists are warning of an elevated risk of dangerous debris flows and destructive mudslides in Southern California next week in areas scorched by destructive Los Angeles wildfires. AccuWeather meteorologists expect...
LA Neighbors See Different Post-Wildfire Rebuilding Options Due to Insurance Crisis
Feb 7 2025 // Before a wildfire ravaged their street in northwest Altadena, Louise Hamlin and Chris Wilson lived next door to each other in nearly identical houses. “I chose an old home in an old neighborhood because it has...
AM Best: Wildfires Intensifying California’s Property Insurance Troubles
Feb 6 2025 // Wildfires are intensifying the problems in California’s property insurance market, according to a new commentary from AM Best. Those problems include a major insurer pullback from California in the past year,...
California Wildfire Losses: Net or Gross?
Feb 5 2025 // The insurance industry admittedly may not be as glamorous as high-tech, investment banking, advertising, or Hollywood. After all, consider that the most influential publication on what’s happening in property &...
USAA Becomes 3rd Insurer to Report $1B-Plus in Claims So Far for LA Wildfires
Feb 5 2025 // USAA has paid out more than $1 billion for the Los Angeles wildfires, making it the third insurer to report $1 billion or more in payouts for the destructive blazes that burned thousands of properties. The company, which...
LA Wildfire Losses Seen as High as $164 Billion, UCLA Says
Feb 5 2025 // Economic losses from the fires that tore through Los Angeles County in January range from $95 billion to $164 billion, according to a new report, potentially making the blazes the second-costliest natural disaster in U.S....
California Faces Mudslide Threat From Flooding Rains After Wildfires
Feb 4 2025 // Weeks after wildfires that killed at least 29 people and destroyed entire neighborhoods, Southern California is facing another extreme-weather threat: Too much rain. After drenching the northern part of the state, a...
State Farm Seeking Interim 22% Rate Hike for Homeowners in Wake of LA Wildfires
Feb 3 2025 // State Farm General said on Monday it is asking the California Department of Insurance to immediately approve interim rate increases, including 22% average for homeowners. The carrier, the state’s top homeowners...
