Wildfire season

It’s the end of the summer and it is officially fire season across the state of California. Last year was a rough year for the state. Up in northern California the City of Paradise was basically burned off the map. The extent of the devastation was so significant that it will take years for people to rebuild and the city to get back to where it was before the fires. Along with the devastation insurance companies ended up paying out billions in claims.  The significant losses for insurance companies have led to wide spread changes in the home insurance industry.
We also had fires in southern California north of Los Angeles. The devastation was not nearly as bad as up north but still significant. Many expensive homes were lost and many neighborhoods were uprooted.
Last week a few miles from my office in Temecula a fire started in the mountains west of Murrieta. We had thunder storms earlier in the day and I would suspect that lightning may have caused the fire. No official word on the cause has been released however. The fire quickly flared up due to high winds and thick brush. The flames rushed down the hillside quickly consuming over 1000 acres. The fire department threw tons of man power and equipment at the flames. Fortunately, they seemed to make good progress early on and were able to protect the neighborhoods at the bottom of the mountain from major losses.  In the end nearly 2000 acres of brush were burned. Two houses sustained damage and hundreds were evacuated for days.
In response to the fires from last year insurance companies at the beginning of the year started sending out mass letters of non renewals to homeowners. Areas that insurance companies would once cover quickly were ruled un insurable. That has lead homeowners searching for new home insurance carriers and not many companies willing to take on the risks. There are still some companies willing to take on higher risk homes, but areas in rural or near wild growing brush are very difficult to get home insurance on now. The California Fair Plan was designed to fill the gap for the most extreme risk homes that no other insurance carrier would cover. But, now they are getting used much more frequently because there are so few options.
We also saw major increases in insurance rates. All the major companies increased the rates significantly for residents in Northern California. Areas that were once considered safe to insure are not considered riskier. For a long time insurance companies had two tiers of risk. Southern California was considered high risk and we all paid more for home insurance than Northern California did. Now insurance companies look at both areas as high risk and the rates have leveled out.
The first few fires are a good reminder to be prepared. If you live anywhere near open brush, hillsides, dry grassy fields have a plan. Know where your important documents are. Have more than one way to get out of your neighborhood and be ready to go. Your safety is the most important thing.
If you get a non renewal letter from your home insurance company give me a call. I still have options for homes that have more than 100 feet clearance from brush. I also sell the California Fair Plan and can give you a price. Call today for your home insurance quote! 951-395-0754