Most Popular Wildfire Headlines This Year

The most viewed headlines from our Wildfire Topic Page over the last year.

#1 Will California’s FAIR Plan Have Enough Cash for Its Wildfire Claims?

Jan 16 2025 // There has been some question about whether California’s insurer of last resort – the FAIR Plan – has enough cash on hand to pay for its share of wildfire claims. As surplus is inadequate and reinsurance has a...

#2 Update: Re/Insurer Losses From LA Wildfires Expected to Be Significant but Manageable

Jan 10 2025 // Insurers are facing significant losses from the catastrophic Los Angeles wildfires — given the high value of homes and businesses in the affected communities. However, those losses are likely to be manageable for...

#3 Update: LA Wildfire Insurance-Loss Estimates Approach $40 Billion

Jan 14 2025 // The cost of wildfires ravaging swaths of Los Angeles keeps rising, with new estimates of the total losses for the insurance industry now seen as high as $40 billion.The fresh figure Jan. 14 from Keefe Bruyette & Woods...

#4 California Wildfires Will Likely Lead to Large Economic and Insured Losses

Jan 8 2025 // Active wind-driven wildfires in Southern California that are estimated to have burned more than 1,000 properties and prompted evacuation orders for more than 80,000 residents will likely lead to what industry watchers say...

#5 Insurance Payouts at $4 Billion and Counting for LA Wildfires

Jan 30 2025 // Preliminary data show insurance companies have paid out more than $4 billion for losses from the biggest two of the Los Angeles-area wildfires that swept through the region and destroyed tens of thousands of homes earlier...

#6 USAA Becomes 3rd Insurer to Report $1B-Plus in Claims So Far for LA Wildfires

Feb 5 2025 // USAA has paid out more than $1 billion for the Los Angeles wildfires, making it the third insurer to report $1 billion or more in payouts for the destructive blazes that burned thousands of properties.The company, which is...

#7 Insured Losses From Los Angeles Wildfires Rising: $8B to $20B

Jan 9 2025 // Editor’s note: This story has been updated with new AccuWeather total loss estimates.With aerial firefighting returning as strong Southern California winds died down for a bit, damage assessments from a handful of...

#8 California Approves FAIR Plan Request to Assess Insurers $1B for Wildfire Claims

Feb 11 2025 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara approved a California FAIR Plan request for a $1 billion assessment on admitted market insurers to cover claims from the Los Angeles wildfires.The FAIR Plan reported it has...

#9 Growing Concerns About Wildfires in Carolina Thanks to Kindling Left by Helene

Jan 22 2025 // As southern California continues to suffer from wildfires, officials in another part of the country fear their area could be next – thanks to tons of dry wood left over from Hurricane Helene’s wind and...

#10 Homeowners Suing USAA and AAA Insurers Over LA Wildfires

Jun 6 2025 // Some homeowners who lost their homes in the Los Angeles wildfires have filed lawsuits against three large insurers over claims payouts they say didn’t cover their losses.The lawsuits were filed in Los Angeles County...

#11 LA Wildfires by the Numbers: Insured Losses, Total Losses, Ratings, Rates

Jan 24 2025 // The impact of the historic Los Angeles-area wildfires is being broadly examined and continually refined, with updates almost daily on insured losses, total economic losses and damages, credit ratings—and lately worrying...

#12 LA Neighbors See Different Post-Wildfire Rebuilding Options Due to Insurance Crisis

Feb 7 2025 // Before a wildfire ravaged their street in northwest Altadena, Louise Hamlin and Chris Wilson lived next door to each other in nearly identical houses.“I chose an old home in an old neighborhood because it has...

#13 Thousands Flee From Uncontrolled Wildfires Burning Near Los Angeles

Jan 8 2025 // Millions of people in California face at least two more days of dry, hot winds that have fanned fires across Los Angeles County and sent residents fleeing for their lives.Hurricane-force wind gusts of as much as 86 miles...

#14 State Farm Seeking Interim 22% Rate Hike for Homeowners in Wake of LA Wildfires

Feb 3 2025 // State Farm General said on Monday it is asking the California Department of Insurance to immediately approve interim rate increases, including 22% average for homeowners.The carrier, the state’s top homeowners...

#15 Trump’s Hiring Freeze Throws Wildfire Fighters Into Disarray

Feb 18 2025 // Federal firefighters have found their jobs on the chopping block as a result of US President Donald Trump’s executive orders, with a hiring freeze simultaneously blocking reinforcements in the aftermath of the Los...

#16 The War on Wildfires Is Going High-Tech

Dec 27 2024 // Last December, a farmer was burning dry grapevines in his vineyard in Deir Mar Moussa, a hill town a dozen miles east of Beirut known for its 18th century monastery and stands of pine forest. Usually this would be...

#17 Travelers Income Drops 65% on Catastrophe Losses, Primarily California Wildfires

Apr 16 2025 // The Travelers Cos. said first quarter 2024 fell 65% on an underwriting loss of $305 million.Travelers posted first quarter net income of about $395 million compared to about $1.1 billion during the first quarter of 2024....

#18 Travelers Expecting $1.7 Billion in Catastrophe Losses From LA Wildfires

Feb 11 2025 // Another major California insurer is reporting losses in excess of $1 billion from the Los Angeles area wildfires.The Travelers Companies Inc. announced Tuesday it will lose an estimated $1.7 billion from last month’s...

#19 Insurer Payouts Now at $12B for LA Wildfires, Report Shows

Mar 12 2025 // Insurance companies have so far paid out more than $12 billion for losses from the two biggest of the Los Angeles-area wildfires that swept through the region and destroyed tens of thousands of homes in January.California...

#20 A Los Angeles Actuary on Lessons From the Palisades Fire

Jan 16 2025 // I watched as the skies over my home in Los Angeles turned an apocalyptic orange on January 7, 2025, as wildfires raged across the state. Among the most devastating, the Palisades Fire consumed thousands of acres, leaving a...