Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones has released the first figures from the devastating wildfires that scorched hundreds of thousands of acres and left dozens homeless during two months of wildfires in California.
According to Jones, there were 45,000 insurance claims filed due to the fires that burned in October and December totaling nearly $12 billion. "If you treat these October and December fires as a combined incident, these insured losses represent one of the most damaging natural catastrophes in California history," he said.
The series of fires in Northern California's wine country in early October devastated entire communities, and destroyed thousands of homes, generating nearly $10 billion in claims alone.
Two months later, the Thomas Fire became the largest recorded blaze in California history after it burned through Santa Barbara and Ventura counties unchecked for weeks. The massive wildfire scorched 281,000 acres and more than 1,200 structures were damaged or destroyed. The fire was fully contained on Jan. 12th, more than a month after it first began.
All told, more than 32,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed, while around 8,000 vehicles were lost to the wildfires.
"We no longer have a fire season in California, fires are year-round," Jones said. "The fires were unprecedented for their severity and disastrous consequences. Whole neighborhoods were wiped out."
The deadly mudslides prompted by a fierce storm in late December in Southern California should also be covered under insurance policies. Jones told reporters on Wednesday that he has notified insurers that the mudslides in Montecito are considered to be caused by the Thomas Fire and therefor covered under fire insurance policies.
Some of the statistics from last year's blazes demonstrate the extent of the economic damage done.
- NUMBER OF MAJOR WILDFIRES: 7
- AREA BURNED: 481 square miles
- DEATHS: 1 civilian, 1 firefighter
- NON-FATAL INJURIES: 12 firefighters, 7 civilians
- HOMES AND OTHER BUILDINGS DESTROYED: 1,355
- EVACUATIONS: The fires prompted orders for more than 200,000 people to leave their homes
- ESTIMATED LOSSES IN BUILDINGS, CARS AND EQUIPMENT: $1.8 billion