wildfires News

Slow Pace of Insurance Payouts, Rebuilding Angers Alberta Wildfire Victims

Some five months after the wildfires that devastated Fort McMurray were extinguished, anger over red tape and the slow pace of insurance payouts and permit issuance is flaring in the remote northern Canadian city. More than 1,900 structures were destroyed …

Study: Climate Change Has Doubled Western U.S. Forest Fires

A new study says that human-induced climate change has doubled the area affected by forest fires in the U.S. West over the last 30 years. Since 1984 heightened temperatures and resulting aridity have caused fires to spread across an additional …

Woman High on Drugs and Driving on Wheel Rim Sparked California Wildfires

Fire officials in southern California say a car driven by a woman high on drugs has sparked several wildfires that so far have burned 450 acres and prompted evacuations. Authorities say Renee Hogan was arrested Sunday. The California Highway Patrol …

Oregon Officials Believe Arson Behind 14 Or More Wildfires

State authorities and forest officials say at least 14 wildfires that have erupted across central Oregon over the last three weeks are believed to have been intentionally started. Officials did not release details on which fires were started by arsonists, …

Natural Catastrophes Drive Global Insured Losses to $31B in H1: Swiss Re’s Sigma

Global insured losses from natural catastrophes and man-made disasters during the first half of 2016 reached US$31 billion, or 44 percent of total economic losses of US$71 billion, according to a report issued by Swiss Re’s sigma. The economic loss …

California Wildfires Gut Homes, Force Evacuations

Thousands were forced to flee a wildfire burning in tinder-dry canyons in Southern California, authorities said. The fire has destroyed at least 18 homes in northern Los Angeles County. The blaze momentum two days after it broke out. About 300 …

Utah Law Enables Authorities to Crash Drones at Wildfires

Utah’s governor has signed into law a measure that makes the state the first to let authorities jam drone signals and crash the devices specifically for flying too close to wildfires. Republican Gov. Gary Herbert’s office announced this week that …

Wildfire Threat in California, Southwest High in July

Forecasters say the threat of wildfires will remain high in Southern California and the Southwest this month because of persistent drought and because summer rains may not be as consistent as usual. The National Interagency Fire Center said last week …

California Wildfire Grows, Fires Threaten Communities around West

Hundreds of firefighters battled a 1,400-acre fire moving through coastal canyons in California on Thursday. Hot, dry weather across the Western U.S. challenged firefighters with blazes in Arizona and New Mexico. In California firefighters were forced to do battle with …

Global Disasters During May to Cost Insurers at Least $7B: Aon Report

Global disasters led to at least $7 billion in claims during May as insurers aid the recovery process following wildfires, floods, and storms, according to Impact Forecasting, Aon Benfield’s catastrophe model development team. An historic wildfire caused catastrophic damage in …