Latest Wildfire Headlines

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

PG&E Says It Won’t Commit to Paying Settlements With 2015 California Fire Victims

Jan 18 2019 // PG&E Corp. is so cash-starved that it won’t commit to paying settlements reached with people who lost their homes in a 2015 wildfire caused by a tree falling on a power line.The disclosure by a lawyer for the...

PG&E Restructuring Highlights California’s Inverse Condemnation Rule

Jan 15 2019 // PG&E Corp.’s chances of emerging from bankruptcy proceedings hinge in part on an arcane California legal rule that threatens to keep the utility owner perpetually on the hook for liabilities from catastrophic...

Hedge Fund Baupost Reported to Hold $1 Billion in PG&E Insurance Claims

Jan 14 2019 // Seth Klarman’s Baupost Group has been the poster child of the hedge fund industry’s ill-timed stock-market bets on the troubled utility PG&E Corp., which announced plans for bankruptcy.It turns out, though,...

‘Goat Fund Me’ Campaign Launched by California Town to Prevent Wildfires

Jan 14 2019 // The threat of catastrophic wildfires has driven a California town to launch a “Goat Fund Me” campaign to bring herds of goats to city-owned land to help clear brush.Nevada City in the Sierra Nevada began the...

PG&E Bankruptcy Looms With $30B in Potential Liabilities from California Wildfires; CEO to Exit

Jan 14 2019 // PG&E Corp. said it will file for bankruptcy in California after the cost of wildfires left it with potential liabilities of $30 billion or more, gutting its share price and prompting the departure of its chief...

Trump, California in Battle Over Wildfire Relief Funds

Jan 11 2019 // President Donald Trump threatened this week to withhold money to help California cope with wildfires after Gov. Gavin Newsom asked him to double the federal investment in forest management.Trump again suggested poor forest...

Judge Wants PG&E Power Restrictions for Next California Wildfire Season

Jan 10 2019 // A U.S. judge has proposed restricting utility PG&E Corp from using power lines deemed to be unsafe during high winds in the 2019 California fire season, adding another complication for the California utility as it...

California Governor Proposes $150M in Wildfire Investments, 911 Fee

Jan 10 2019 // California Gov. Gavin Newsom has pledged fresh investments to prevent, fight and escape wildfires, including millions to help local governments improve their communication during emergencies and a fee to fund an update for...

Wildfires, Dynamex Dominate California Wholesaler Conference

Jan 8 2019 // Wildfires and the Dynamex decision.Those two topics dominated discussions at an insurance wholesaler conference this week. The California Wholesaler Association conference in La Jolla, Calif. from Sunday through today...

California Wildfires, Hurricane Michael Top List of 2018’s Costliest Natural Disasters: Munich Re

Jan 8 2019 // The costliest natural catastrophes occurred in the United States in 2018 with one of California’s devastating wildfires and Hurricane Michael topping the list, according to Munich Re.A report from Munich Re on last...

Allstate, State Farm, USAA Sue California Utility Over Wildfires

Jan 8 2019 // Several insurance companies have filed lawsuits blaming Pacific Gas & Electric Co. for a deadly California wildfire that destroyed 14,000 homes and triggered billions of dollars in insurance claims.The lawsuits filed...

California Utility’s Bankruptcy Talk Sets Stage for Showdown with State

Jan 7 2019 // In weighing a bankruptcy, power giant PG&E Corp. may be firing a warning shot to California lawmakers: Help us or watch the largest utility in your state go insolvent.The company is considering whether to file for...

Western Region Could See Action on Disaster Mitigation, Independent Contractors, Workers’ Comp

Jan 7 2019 // Most eyeballs were on California during the midterm elections in November, with polar opposite candidates facing off in the race for governor as well as the office of insurance commissioner.As in most years, Democrats...

5 Lessons to Take Away from the California Wildfires

Jan 7 2019 // The California wildfires of 2018 were devastating, burning hundreds of thousands of acres, costing numerous lives and destroying thousands of properties.The California Department of Insurance in early December put the...

AM Best: Negative Rating Implications from Wildfires for California Capital and Subsidiaries

Jan 7 2019 // AM Best has placed under review with negative implications the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings of “a-” of California Capital Insurance Co. and its...

California Wildfires: Where Do We Go From Here?

Jan 2 2019 // This post is part of a series sponsored by CoreLogic.The last few months of 2018 were record-setting and heartbreaking for the survivors of wildfires in California. The Camp Fire in Butte County quickly became the most...

Prosecutors Say California Fires May Mean PG&E Violated Criminal Sentence

Jan 2 2019 // A California utility’s role in igniting wildfires last year could allow a judge to find that it violated terms of its criminal sentence in a 2010 gas pipeline explosion that killed eight people, federal prosecutors...

Lawyers Scramble to Get Piece of the Action in California Wildfire Lawsuits

Dec 31 2018 // In a conference room 13 miles from Paradise, California, Doug Boxer explains to survivors of the state’s worst wildfire why they should choose his law firm to sue PG&E Corp.He walks a fine line between listening...

Insurance Journal West’s Top Stories for 2018: California Commissioner Race, Hawaii Lava, Wildfire Losses

Dec 31 2018 // Another year down, and too many fascinating news headlines to count.Hawaii’s lava, the race for California insurance commissioner, and a $23 million ruling in a lawsuit against Geico were among the most popular...

Most Insurers to Increase Payments to California Wildfire Victims Without Itemization

Dec 28 2018 // California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones said this week that most insurers were following a notice he issued requesting that residential property insurers provide at least 75 percent and up to 100 percent of contents...