California Wildfires News

California Utilities’ Wildfire Prevention Plans Call for More Blackouts

California utilities plan to continue shutting off power to customers during dry and windy conditions to prevent sparking deadly wildfires, but they aim to make outages more targeted to avoid widespread blackouts, according to plans filed with the state. Plans …

Wine ‘Smoke Taint’ Disputes Linger 2 Years After California Wildfires

Recent wildfires in California Wine Country, particularly those that devastated parts of Napa and Sonoma counties in October 2017, have focused attention on whether insurance covers smoke taint damage to grapes and wine. Many wineries and grape growers have notified …

PG&E Clears Another Bankruptcy Hurdle with Debt Refinancing

A federal judge has approved a settlement that moves Pacific Gas & Electric closer to getting out of bankruptcy, but the troubled utility still must navigate nettlesome obstacles being put up by the state of California. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Dennis …

California Governor Wants to Block PG&E’s Bankruptcy Plan

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is urging a federal judge to reject Pacific Gas and Electric’s blueprint for getting out of bankruptcy and renewing his threat to lead a bid to turn the beleaguered utility into a government-run operation. In a …

California Man Arrested for Insurance Fraud on Top of an Apparently Legit $1M Claim

A California man is being charged with attempting to defraud his insurer of $43,000 while his $1 million property claim from one of the massive wildfires that struck the state in 2018 appears to be legitimate. Stephen Cortopassi, 64, of …

California Lawmaker Wants Probe of PG&E’s Chief Regulator

A state lawmaker is demanding an extensive review of the California Public Utilities Commission to determine whether regulators’ lax oversight enabled neglect at Pacific Gas & Electric that triggered catastrophic wildfires, a messy bankruptcy and exasperating blackouts. The request by …

FEMA Administrator: We Want California Wildfire Costs From PG&E, Not Victims

A regional director for the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Monday said FEMA is going after California utility giant Pacific Gas & Electric for $3.9 billion owed the government due to wildfires that PG&E was found to have caused in …

Natural Catastrophes Cost $150B in 2019, with Insurers Paying $52B: Munich Re

Natural catastrophes caused overall losses of US$150 billion during 2019, including insured losses of about US$52 billion, which matches the average of the past 30 years, according to Munich Re’s catastrophe update. The reinsurer said the protection gap (the difference …

Financial Tug-Of-War Emerges Over California Fire Victims’ Settlement

A financial tug-of-war is emerging over the $13.5 billion that the nation’s largest utility has agreed to pay to victims of recent California wildfires, as government agencies jockey for more than half the money to cover the costs of their …

Insurance Journal’s Top 10 West Region Stories of 2019

California wildfires dominated the news in Insurance Journal’s Western region in 2019, despite it being a quiet year relative to two consecutive years of deadly blazes that came before. Three of the year’s top 10 most read stories on IJ …