Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in National Underwriter, P&C.
Fire officials expect to have control over two major wildfires burning in California by the end of this week, but neither incident should amount to catastrophe claims, an insurance association representative said.
According to Jersey City, N.J.-based Insurance Services Office Inc., a catastrophe is defined as an event that causes $25 million or more in insured property losses and affects a significant number of property and casualty policyholders and insurers.
Two major fires in Southern California have claimed more than 17,000 acres and close to 50 structures this week as fire fighters deal with at least seven active major wildfires throughout the state, according to a state incident map.
Pete Moraga, spokesman for the Insurance Information Network of California, said insurers have not been able to get adjusters into the burned out areas, but the fire has claimed at least 8 homes, and probably more. He said from local news reports that there appear to be a lot of burned out vehicles, indicating that both blazes swept quickly through the region. Most of the losses, he said, occurred in the first hours of the fires.
Both fires, located in Kern County, involve a total of 3,000 firefighters, but officials believe that with the winds dying down, they should have the fires under control by Friday, Mr. Moraga said.
The largest of the two is named the Bull fire, As of 7 a.m. local time on July 29, 2010, it consumed more than 16,000 acres and 14 structures, eight of them homes. The fire incident map said 12 percent of that wildfire was contained at the time.
The second fire, named the West fire, has been more devastating. While consuming only close to 1,500 acres, that blaze has destroyed at least 35 structures, 25 of which were residential, according to the state's incident map. As of this morning, only 25 percent of that blaze was contained by firefighters.
Mr. Moraga said the wildfires, still under investigation, are taking place in rural areas where structures are spread out throughout the vicinity.
The five other fires in the central and Northern portion of the state, have been less devastating, claiming eight structures, four of which were reported to be homes. Two of those fires are 100 percent contained.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said that since July 24, there have been 5,000 lightening strikes across northeast California resulting in 196 confirmed fires.
Mr. Moraga advised that at this time insurance agents should be reminding clients to perform a home inventory in case of a loss and to review their policies to make sure they have enough insurance to cover a loss.
Mark E.Ruquet is associate editor of National Underwriter, part of Summit Business Media's P&C Magazine Group, which includes Claims.
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