California Wildfires News

Should Upcoming California Commissioner’s Hearing on Wildfires Concern Insurers?

Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara will convene a “virtual investigatory hearing” on Monday to initiate a series of regulatory actions that will protect residents from the increasing risk of wildfires. Several years of destructive wildfires have made insurance expensive and difficult …

California Heat Wave Prompts Power Shutdowns, Wildfire Danger

More than 50,000 California utility customers were without power and others around the state were urged to conserve electricity Thursday amid a fall heat wave that brought another round of extreme wildfire danger. The National Weather Service issued heat advisories …

California Commissioner Asks Insurers to Cover Wildfire Losses Sans Home Inventory

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara is asking insurance companies help wildfire survivors by providing up to 100% of personal property coverage limits without a detailed inventory to those who suffered a total loss of their home, similar to previous identical …

Report: Nearly 2M Homes at Elevated Risk of Wildfire

Nearly 2 million homes, mostly in the Western U.S., with a rebuilding value of more than $638 billion are at an elevated risk of wildfire damage, a report out today shows. An annual wildfire report from data provider CoreLogic comes …

Online Platform Kin Insurance Expanding to California

Kin Insurance announced it will begin serving California with its online platform to enable homeowners to obtain insurance quotes, customize coverage and get insured online or over the phone. Kin originally launched in 2016 to serve Florida. Kin said it …

Western Wildfires Taint Vineyards With Taste Of Smoke

Smoke from the West Coast wildfires has tainted grapes in some of the nation’s most celebrated wine regions with an ashy flavor that could spell disaster for the 2020 vintage. Wineries in California, Oregon and Washington have survived severe wildfires …

Few Resources, Old-Growth Forest Allowed Growth of California Wildfire

A lack of firefighting resources in the hours after it was sparked allowed a fast-moving wildfire to make an unprecedented run through Southern California mountains and eventually find fuel in old-growth trees to become one of Los Angeles County’s largest …

California Burnin’ – a Warning Against One-Party Rule: Opinion

“California, folks, is America fast forward.” Thus said Governor Gavin Newsom, hoarsely, amid brown smoke at the North Complex Fire on Sept. 11. “What we’re experiencing right here is coming to a community all across the United States of America …

Fire Weather May Improve for Pacific Northwest, No Such Luck for Tinderbox California

Rains may bring some reprieve to those suffering from massive blazes in the Pacific Northwest in the next few weeks, but forecasters don’t expect any help for wildfire-plagued California anytime soon. That’s according to briefing call on Friday morning held …

Moody’s Says Property/Casualty Insurers Face Significant Losses from Western Wildfires

Dozens of wildfires raging in California, Oregon, Washington and other Western states have resulted in loss of life, damaged or destroyed about 9,657 homes and commercial structures and burned more than 5 million acres, according to the National Interagency Coordination …