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The Glass Fire, one of 23 major wildfires burning across California, has destroyed or damaged at least 17 wineries in Napa Valley. More than 215 other wineries are under mandatory evacuation orders. As of October 5, the wildfire had also destroyed 550 homes and more than 66,800 acres. The small vineyard at Behrens Family Winery in St. Helena suffered extensive…

Late on September 2 a 117-acre mountainside wildfire, dubbed Snoqualmie Fire, ignited less than a mile from a residential neighborhood in Layton, Utah, prompting mandatory evacuations of 125 homes. The fire, which reportedly came within 100 to 200 yards of homes, began just one day after officials announced 100 percent containment of the Gun Range Fire that was sparked by…

At least 108 active wildfires were burning in the U.S. as of Aug. 10, involving over 2.4 million acres of land in 15 states. The Bootleg Fire in Southern Oregon has burned more than 400,000 acres since it was ignited by lightning on July 6 and although it was 98% contained as of Aug. 10, officials said it was nowhere…

Wildfires are a growing risk for homeowners in many areas. To learn more about how homeowners can protect themselves and their property, Crain’s Content Studio spoke with Pamela Alphabet, Regional Practice Group Leader, Personal Insurance, Burns & Wilcox, Scottsdale, Arizona. How serious is the wildfire threat for homeowners today? P.A.: Each year, the risk continues to increase. By far, the…

More than 1.2 million homes in California are at a moderate or high risk of wildfire damage, representing a reconstruction cost value of more than $760 billion, according to a new report on wildfire risk in the U.S. It is just one of the findings from property analytics firm CoreLogic’s 2023 Wildfire Risk Report, which details wildfire threats, reconstruction costs,…

On November 7, the Kincade Fire—so far the largest, most destructive fire of the 2019 California wildfire season—was fully contained and extinguished after scorching 120 square miles of Sonoma wine country in two weeks. The more than 400 structures destroyed in the Kincade Fire represent over half of all property losses due to wildfires in California this year—last year saw…

Wildfire Defense Systems (WDS)—a specialist in wildfire education, loss prevention and wildfire response services—joined our panel of experts as they detailed insights into the 2021 wildfire season. During this webinar, we: Forecast the 2021 wildfire season Discuss learnings from past wildfire activity Review the Wildfire Defense Systems partnership with Burns & Wilcox Provide updates on current marketplace conditions in California…

This year has brought unprecedented challenges as the world copes with the COVID-19 pandemic; however, 2020 has also been a record-breaking year for extreme weather events: devastating wildfires, an especially active hurricane season, blackout-inducing heatwaves, a historic spate of tornadoes, a “firenado” and a 500-year flood. The U.S. recently hit its 10th billion-dollar weather disaster of the year earlier than ever before and the hurricane season is on pace to…

Burning near the western edge of Yosemite National Park, the Ferguson forest fire has burned tens of thousands of acres, injured several firefighters and forced the evacuation of residents in the area. Wildfires are also forcing evacuations in Southern Oregon. In the wake of a wildfire in California that shows few signs of slowing down, homeowners are reminded that there…

Special guest: Dave Torgerson, CEO, Wildfire Defense Systems Hosted by: Bill Gatewood, Corporate Senior Vice President, National Personal Insurance Practice Leader, Burns & Wilcox, and Ian Hanson, Associate Vice President, Underwriting Director, Burns & Wilcox During this webinar, we discussed: How Wildfire Defense Systems helps threatened homes survive a wildfire event Tips on how agents can improve communication to their clients in…

The challenges facing homeowners in areas of high risk for wildfires For many homeowners in the western part of the country, the threat of wildfire is an ever present risk. Heat, drought, lightning and wind create the perfect conditions to spark a blaze that can threaten homes, destroy property and in extreme cases, consume tens of thousands of acres[1]. Ian Hanson, Personal Insurance…

The impact of wildfires that raged across California the past two years will force one of the state’s largest utilities to file for bankruptcy protection later this month, but has also limited access to Homeowners Insurance policies statewide. Pacific Gas & Electric Corp. (PG&E), found at fault for some 2017 wildfires, now faces additional liabilities that could exceed $30 billion…