California Wildfires News

Ex-PG&E Execs Paying $117M To Settle California Wildfires Lawsuit

Former executives and directors of Pacific Gas & Electric have agreed to pay $117 million to settle a lawsuit over devastating 2017 and 2018 California wildfires sparked by the utility’s equipment. The settlement was announced by the PG&E Fire Victim …

California Commissioner Wants Discounts from Insurers in New Wildfires Framework

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara on Wednesday submitted an insurance pricing regulation to the California Office of Administrative Law to recognize and reward wildfire safety and mitigation efforts made by homeowners and businesses. The regulation is said by Lara’s office …

California Faces Late-Summer Heat Wave

California is facing a prolonged late-summer heat wave this week, with widespread triple-digit temperatures starting in the south and spreading northward, the National Weather Service said Monday. Excessive heat watches will go into effect Wednesday morning and remain in effect …

Western Fires Outpace California’s Effort to Fill Inmate Crews

As wildfires rage across California each year, exhausted firefighters call for reinforcements from wherever they can get them – even as far as Australia. Yet one homegrown resource is rarely used: thousands of experienced firefighters who earned their chops in …

California Insurance Commissioner Orders Moratorium on Cancellations, Non-Renewals Following Wildfires

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has ordered insurers to preserve residential insurance coverage for 8,500 affected homes following Gov. Gavin Newsom’s emergency declaration as wildfires in Siskiyou County continue to threaten homeowners. The commissioner’s order shields those properties within the …

California Commissioner Orders Cancellation Moratorium for Wildfires

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara this week ordered insurers to preserve residential insurance coverage for the county of Mariposa following Gov. Gavin Newsom’s emergency declaration. Lara’s order shields those properties within the perimeter or in adjacent ZIP Codes of the …

Wildfire Threat Becomes Tool to Fight California Home Builders

Preston Brown knows the risk of wildfire that comes with living in the rural, chaparral-lined hills of San Diego County. He’s lived there for 21 years and evacuated twice. That’s why he fiercely opposed a plan to build more than …

California Insurance Commissioner Issues Year Moratorium on Cancellations, Non-Renewals Following Wildfires

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara ordered insurance companies to preserve residential insurance coverage for more than 85,000 policyholders affected by fires in Santa Barbara County and Monterey County after Gov. Gavin Newsom issued emergency declarations this month. The commissioner’s bulletin …

California Governor Acting to Advance Wildfire Recovery

California Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed states of emergency in Santa Barbara and Monterey counties on Friday to help the process of recovery from recent wildfires. The proclamations allow the California Department of Transportation to request immediate federal assistance for highway …

Insurers Increasingly Concerned for Western U.S. Wildfire Season

As Western wildfires force evacuations in Arizona and California – on the heels of an early and severe wildfire season in New Mexico – insurers are increasingly eyeing the growing risks. “Insurers are very much concerned about the wildfire situation,” …