Latest Wildfire Headlines

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

Number of Wildfires Down in Louisiana Over 10-Year Period

Aug 20 2019 // The number of wildfires in Louisiana has dropped significantly over the past decade, agriculture and forestry officials say.According to records, Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) firefighters battled...

IICF Awards $50K Grant to California Fire Foundation for Victims

Aug 19 2019 // The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation’s Western Division presented a $50,000 grant to the California Fire Foundation’s Supplying Aid to Victims of Emergency program on Aug. 16.The grant is to support...

PG&E Shares Dive on Risk of up to $18B in Wildfire Lawsuit Costs

Aug 19 2019 // PG&E Corp. shares plunged Monday after a judge ruled that a jury can determine whether it should pay as much as $18 billion in damages to wildfire victims.The California utility giant fell as much 28%, to $10.22, at...

Underwriters Get Picky and Other Trends in Construction Insurance

Aug 19 2019 // Construction insurance specialists say their insurance market is strong with plenty of capacity and underwriters competing for the best accounts.According to specialists interviewed by Insurance Journal for their...

Edison International to Face Trial Over Woolsey Wildfire Claim in April

Aug 19 2019 // The first trial to determine if Edison International’s Southern California utility is liable for damages from the Woolsey wildfire that tore through Malibu last year will begin on April 27, a judge said.California...

Report: Re/Insurers Are Reconsidering Risk Appetite for California Wildfires

Aug 19 2019 // S&P Global Ratings says 2020 reinsurance pricing in the aftermath of California wildfires will likely rise as re/insurers are finding 2017-2018 losses from wildfires in that state to be higher than expected.The...

One of 86 Victims Of California’s Deadliest Wildfire Identified

Aug 19 2019 // One of 86 people who were killed in the deadliest wildfire in California history has been identified.The Butte County Sheriff’s office said on Friday it positively identified the remains of 68-year-old Judith Sipher...

ISO, Intterra, Western Fire Chiefs Partner to Better Understand Wildfire Risk

Aug 19 2019 // ISO and Intterra are partnering with the Western Fire Chiefs Association to explore new ways of analyzing and understanding wildfire risk.Intterra has worked with the WFCA for several years to develop the Fire Data Lab, a...

Outside Inspectors Find Tree Hazards That PG&E Contractors Overlooked

Aug 16 2019 // PG&E Corp.’s court-appointed compliance monitor concluded the utility isn’t trimming trees that pose wildfire threats in high-risk areas of California and didn’t train its contractors properly.The...

Emergency Crews From Denmark Helping Greenland with Wildfires

Aug 15 2019 // As scientists warn that Greenland is melting at a record pace, the island is relying on emergency services from outside its borders to help it extinguish a wildfire.Denmark will send 38 firefighters to Greenland to help...

Northern California Wildfire Victims Can File Claims With PG&E

Aug 14 2019 // People affected by wildfires in Northern California in 2017 and 2018 can soon file claims for housing assistance and other immediate needs with Pacific Gas & Electric Co.They can file their claims online through the...

California Group Seeking Legislative Action on Wildfires

Aug 12 2019 // A broad California coalition is calling for support for package of bills to create a California Wildfire Warning Center, develop more skilled firefighters and establish defensible space standardsAction for Wildfire...

Germany’s Forests Damaged by Droughts and Wildfires, Stoking Climate Debate

Aug 12 2019 // Germany’s forests – long a source of pride and national identity – are feeling the heat.A second consecutive year of unusually dry and warm weather has left swaths of dead and dying trees, fueling fears that the...

Lawsuit Says Manufacturer, Rancher Caused Oregon Wildfire

Aug 9 2019 // A lawsuit says a rancher, workers and the John Deere farm equipment company are at fault for a wildfire that burned parts of an Oregon Native American reservation.The Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs filed the...

PG&E Posts $2.6B Loss Stemming From California Wildfires, Bankruptcy

Aug 9 2019 // PG&E Corp. reported a $2.6 billion loss for the second quarter as costs from devastating wildfires in 2017 and 2018 and the California utility’s giant’s ongoing bankruptcy wiped out earnings.The loss...

ISO, Intterra, Western Fire Chiefs Partner to Better Understand Wildfire Risk

Aug 8 2019 // ISO and Intterra are partnering with the Western Fire Chiefs Association to explore new ways of analyzing and understanding wildfire risk.Intterra has worked with the WFCA for several years to develop the Fire Data Lab, a...

U.S. Northwest Faces Growing Wildfire Threat

Aug 6 2019 // Nestled in the foothills of Washington’s Cascade Mountains, the bustling Seattle suburb of Issaquah seems an unlikely candidate for anxiety over wildfires.The region, famous for its rainfall, has long escaped major...

Artificial Intelligence Helps to Contain Wildfires, Predict Wild Weather

Aug 5 2019 // On a tower in the Brazilian rainforest, a sentinel scans the horizon for the first signs of fire.Only these eyes aren’t human. They don’t blink or take breaks, and guided by artificial intelligence they can...

California Governor Defends State’s Wildfire Efforts

Aug 2 2019 // Gov. Gavin Newsom defended California’s wildfire prevention efforts this week while criticizing the federal government for not doing enough to help protect the state as it enters the height of fire season after two...

Sun Valley Climate Conference’s Broad Agenda: Wildfires, Military, Insurance, Resilience

Aug 1 2019 // Washington had a record 1,850 responses to wildfires on Department of Natural Resources lands last year.Over the last five years, wildfires have continued to hit the state hard. One state official, who believes climate...