Latest Wildfire Headlines
All the headlines from our Wildfire Topic Page, ordered by recency.
How Climate Change Drives Heatwaves and Wildfires in Europe
Aug 18 2023 // Europe is once again battling scorching temperatures this summer, with wildfires blazing across the continent from the Mediterranean to Spain. Here’s how climate change drives these events. HOTTER, MORE FREQUENT...
California-Oregon Wildfires Prompt Evacuation Orders
Aug 17 2023 // Growing fires near the California-Oregon border have prompted evacuation orders. A Siskiyou County wildfire, the Head Fire, started in the Klamath National Forest after a bout of thunderstorms and lightning. A social media...
Texas Governor Issues Widespread Disaster Declaration Due to Wildfires
Aug 15 2023 // Gov. Greg Abbott has issued a wildfire disaster declaration for about 75% of Texas counties, allowing them to use all available state resources to respond to any new fires as the state continues to bake under triple-digit...
What Sparks US Wildfires: Power Lines, Burning Trash and Lightning
Aug 15 2023 // The fast-moving fire that ripped through Maui’s historic town of Lahaina killed more than 90 people, making it the deadliest US wildfire in more than a century. The cause of the blaze is still under investigation,...
Estimate of Losses From Devastating Hawaii Wildfires Increases to $14B-$16B
Aug 14 2023 // AccuWeather increased its estimate of the total damage and economic loss from the devastating wildfires burning in Hawaii to $14 to $16 billion. The update follows AccuWeather’s preliminary estimate last week of...
AccuWeather: Damage and Economic Loss from Wildfires in Hawaii $8B to $10B
Aug 10 2023 // AccuWeather’s preliminarily estimate of the total damage and economic loss from the wildfires burning in Hawaii is from $8 billion to 10 billion. The worst of the fires hit the Island of Maui, with the Lahaina area...
Wind-Driven Hawaii Wildfire Destroying Maui Tourist Town
Aug 9 2023 // A wildfire erupted in Maui on Wednesday fueled by strong winds from Hurricane Dora, destroying homes and businesses in a tourist town and forcing some residents to jump into the ocean to escape the flames. The Associated...
Compensation for New Mexico Wildfire Victims Tops $14M and is Climbing
Aug 7 2023 // More victims of a devastating wildfire sparked last year by the U.S. Forest Service in northern New Mexico are getting compensated, with payouts to landowners totaling more than $14 million as of early next week, federal...
Europeans Lack Insurance Protection as Wildfires and Drought Batter the Region
Aug 3 2023 // Europeans are among the least insured against certain types of extreme weather and other natural disasters in the developed world, a predicament made more worrisome as the continent suffers a summer of devastating heat,...
Blazing a New Trail: Oregon Wildfire Regulatory Compliance
Aug 2 2023 // This post is part of a series sponsored by CoreLogic. Due to the ever-changing insurance market, property and casualty insurers across the country face multiple challenges today that can commonly disrupt their business...
Some Gains Made on 80K Acre Southern California Wildfire
Aug 1 2023 // Containment on an 80,000-plus-acre wildfire in Southern California grew to 23% on Tuesday, as firefighters made some progress against the state’s most massive ongoing blaze. It was listed as being at 0% containment a...
Wildfire Risk Climbs for Spain as Heat Wave Moves to Iberia
Jul 31 2023 // The focus of Europe’s heat is switching to Spain, with a high risk of wildfires in southern parts of the Iberian peninsula. Southern Spain is expected to exceed 40C (104F) on Monday, with regions around Cordoba under...
Update: Greece Fights Almost 200 Wildfires as Wind Raises Risk in Mediterranean
Jul 27 2023 // Greece is fighting almost 200 wildfires as strengthening winds put a sting in the tail of the Mediterranean’s fading heat wave. More villages in mainland Greece were evacuated on Thursday as blazes threatened, while...
Markets/Coverages: New Lloyd’s Syndicate Provides E&S Cover for Calif. Wildfire Risks
Jul 26 2023 // Wildfire Defense Systems Inc., Polo Managing Agency Ltd. (PMA) and Aon, announced Lloyd’s has approved the launch of Wildfire Defense Syndicate 1996, which started underwriting on July 1, 2023. Created under...
Greece Wildfires Raise Questions for Tourists About Their Travel Insurance Cover
Jul 25 2023 // Wildfires and evacuations on the Greek island of Rhodes, and a heat wave blasting much of southern Europe, have raised questions for tourists about their travel insurance coverage. As the threat of fires remains high...
Wildfires Rage Across Greece With Record Heat Forecast for Italy
Jul 24 2023 // Wildfires are raging across Greece after about 19,000 people were evacuated from the island of Rhodes over the weekend, while record temperatures are forecast for Sardinia. Over the past 24 hours, 162 fires have been...
Containment of Massive Southern California Wildfire Grows
Jul 19 2023 // Fire crews built containment lines and patrolled for hot spots throughout the day on Wednesday to continue to keep a massive Southern California wildfire from growing. Containment on the Rabbit Fire grew to 55% with...
Utility Investors Wary of Exposures After Buffet’s PacifiCorp Held Liable for Wildfires
Jul 19 2023 // Destructive wildfires are now an almost routine part of summer in the American West, and electrical utilities have likewise become used to having their power lines and equipment blamed for igniting the blazes. But a jury...
Firefighters Make Gains on Southern California Wildfire
Jul 17 2023 // Firefighters gained ground Monday against a large wildfire and three smaller blazes in the torrid interior of Southern California. The Rabbit Fire grew slightly overnight to more than 12 square miles but containment jumped...
Canada’s Wildfires Burn Record 25 Million Acres With No End in Sight
Jul 17 2023 // Canadian wildfires have scorched more than 10 million hectares (25 million acres) this summer, an area about the size of Iceland, with no end to the burning expected anytime soon. About 900 active fires were reported as of...
