California wildfires News

How California’s Homeowners Insurance Crisis is Affecting Brokers

A growing homeowners insurance crisis for Californians is straining brokers who must work harder to get increasingly expensive and more frequently unavailable coverage for their clients, a crisis many of them blame on regulations and wildfires. Wildfires have made the …

California Wildfire Outlook: ‘A Challenging Season for Firefighters’

While the official start to California’s wildfire season is still a ways off, the best forecast of what’s ahead may be to look back on the year so far, and so far it’s been far busier for firefighters than last …

The Top 15 U.S. Metros with High Exposure to Wildfire Risk

The number of wildfires per year is going down, but the increasing size and intensity of the fires is creating more property damage than ever before – in fact, the average fire size has tripled over the past 30 years, …

California Sees Two More Property Insurers Withdraw From Market

California’s already strained property insurance market is facing a new challenge as two more insurers, Tokio Marine America Insurance Co. and Trans Pacific Insurance Co., plan to withdraw from the wildfire-prone state entirely starting in July. The two companies, units …

AM Best Downgrades State Farm General Ratings

Roughly a week after State Farm announced that it would nonrenew tens of thousands of homeowners and commercial apartment policies in California, AM Best has downgraded the company that offered those policies. Last week, State Farm cited its responsibility to …

California Utilities Regulator Okays $45 Million Penalty for PG&E Over 2021 Dixie Fire

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved a $45 million settlement agreement between its Safety and Enforcement Division (SED) and Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), for the utility’s part in the destructive 2021 Dixie wildfire. The Dixie fire started …

Paradise Struggles to Rebuild Amid High Home Insurance Costs

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Heidi Lange was among the first to rebuild after the deadliest wildfire in California history destroyed her home in 2018 along with much of the town of Paradise. After the fire, she got divorced, which left …

PG&E Pledges $18 Billion to Cut Wildfire Risk in California

PG&E Corp. plans to invest $18 billion in wildfire prevention through 2025 following back-to-back seasons of devastating blazes linked to the utility’s network of wires and other equipment. PG&E will bury more than 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) of wires, install …

Report Forecasts ‘Above-Normal’ U.S. Wildfire Season, Worse in Drought-Plagued West

The U.S. has in store an “above-normal” wildfire season if a prediction out on Wednesday from fire weather experts holds true – “intense” may be a better word for the expectations in Western region. Early predictions for the 2022 fire …

PG&E’s Criminal Probation to End Amid Ongoing Safety Worries

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)–Pacific Gas & Electric is poised to emerge from five years of criminal probation, despite worries that nation’s largest utility remains too dangerous to trust after years of devastation from wildfires ignited by its outdated equipment and neglectful …