Latest Wildfire Headlines

All the headlines from our Wildfire Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Bankruptcy Judge Approves $13.5B PG&E Deal with California Wildfire Victims

Dec 18 2019 // A U.S. bankruptcy judge approved on Tuesday PG&E Corp.’s $13.5 billion settlement with victims of Californian wildfires, and the company’s stock rallied as the utility gained momentum to emerge from...

California and PG&E Reach $1.7B Deal on Wildfire Penalties

Dec 17 2019 // California utility regulators have reached a settlement with PG&E Corp. over violations tied to catastrophic wildfires ignited by the company’s power lines in 2017 and 2018.The proposed settlement would prevent...

PG&E Takes California Governor out of $13.5B Wildfire Deal

Dec 17 2019 // Bankrupt utility giant PG&E Corp. has removed a requirement that California Gov. Gavin Newsom sign off on its settlement with wildfire victims, trying to buy more time for its restructuring plan.PG&E reached an...

Boat Safety Law Proposed in Wake of California Fire That Killed 34

Dec 16 2019 // A group of California congressional members have proposed tighter safety standards for small boats after a diving charter vessel burned and sank in September, killing 34 people.Only five people – the captain and four...

As California Thins Forests to Limit Wildfire Risk, Some Resist

Dec 16 2019 // Buzzing chainsaws are interrupted by the frequent crash of breaking branches as crews fell towering trees and clear tangled brush in the densely forested Santa Cruz Mountains south of San Francisco.Their goal: To protect...

Jupiter Receives $1M Grant to Accelerate California Fire Control Efforts

Dec 16 2019 // Predictive data and analytics firm Jupiter has received a $1 million grant from the Moore Foundation to accelerate deployment of its FireScore Operations service, a wildfire threat and intelligence platform to make it...

California Governor Rejects PG&E Bankruptcy Plan as Not Satisfying Wildfire Law

Dec 15 2019 // California Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday rejected a bankruptcy reorganization plan submitted by PG&E Corp, the state’s largest investor-owned utility, saying its proposal fails to meet the requirements of a...

FAIR Plan Asks Court to Stop California Insurance Commissioner’s Order

Dec 13 2019 // Note: This is been updated with a statement from Lara’s office.The FAIR Plan today filed a petition for a writ of mandate seeking to have a court annul, vacate, or withdraw an order issued last month by the...

PG&E Gains on $13.5B Settlement With California Wildfire Victims

Dec 9 2019 // PG&E Corp. surged on the strength of a Friday announcement it had secured a $13.5 billion settlement with victims of wildfires ignited by its power lines, a step toward resolving the biggest utility bankruptcy in U.S....

Industry Representative Puts Fire Insurance Availability at Feet of Commissioner

Dec 6 2019 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara will have to choose whether he wants insurers to charge higher rates or to stop writing homeowners insurance in fire-prone areas, an industry representative said following new...

California Commissioner Calls for Statewide Non-Renewal Moratorium, More Measures to Protect Wildfire Victims

Dec 5 2019 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara on Thursday issued a mandatory one-year moratorium on insurance companies non-renewing policyholders, a move he says will help at least 800,000 homes in wildfire disaster...

PG&E Nearing $13.5B Deal With California Wildfire Victims

Dec 5 2019 // Bankrupt California power producer PG&E Corp. is close to finalizing terms for a $13.5 billion payout to victims of wildfires triggered by its power lines, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with...

Factors that Contribute to Prolonged Recovery after California Wildfires

Dec 4 2019 // This post is part of a series sponsored by CoreLogic.As strong winds further exasperate the prime weather conditions for wildfires in California, efforts to save lives and property are a foremost priority of emergency...

Probe Finds PG&E Failed to Inspect Transmission Lines That Caused 2018 Wildfire

Dec 3 2019 // Bankrupt California power producer PG&E Corp. did not properly inspect and replace transmission lines before a faulty wire sparked a wildfire that killed more than 80 people in 2018, a probe by a state regulator has...

Some Changes to California’s FAIR Plan Could Go into Effect Early Next Year

Dec 2 2019 // Note: This has been updated with FAIR Plan comments below.Changes to the insurance plan offered by California’s property insurer of last resort could possibly go into effect as early as the next few months – that...

PG&E Says Blackouts Limited California Fires Despite One Likely Failure

Dec 2 2019 // The nation’s largest utility said Friday that its distribution lines haven’t sparked any major wildfires since it began shutting off power to Northern California customers during periods of high fire...

California Faces Decade of Unique Wildfire Blackouts

Dec 2 2019 // California utility PG&E Corp. has imposed 10 intentional blackouts this year to reduce risks its power infrastructure could spark wildfires and said they will continue for a decade.PG&E initially said outages would...

Wildfire Crisis is Roiling California’s Insurance Market

Nov 27 2019 // Lauris Bye, a homebuilding industry veteran who moved to Southern California’s wildfire-prone hills decades ago, felt confident about the newly built house he was buying about 30 miles north of downtown Los...

California Faces Decade of Unique Wildfire Blackouts

Nov 25 2019 // California utility PG&E Corp. has imposed 10 intentional blackouts this year to reduce risks its power infrastructure could spark wildfires and said they will continue for a decade.PG&E initially said outages would...

Housing Crunch in California’s Pushing Developers Deeper into Wildfire Zones

Nov 25 2019 // The Santa Ana winds were blowing as Greg Medeiros ducked behind his Chevy Tahoe on a remote hillside 25 miles from the edge of Los Angeles’s sprawl. He gestured to the valley below, describing his vision of...