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RESOURCES - California and Wildfires |
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California has a long history of wildfires. These links will provide you with information on:
- The costliest California wildland fires
- Leading property/casualty insurance companies by market share in California.
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Fire plays an important role in the life of a forest, clearing away dead wood and undergrowth to make way for younger trees. But for much of the last century, fire-suppression policies have sought to extinguish wildfires as quickly as possible to preserve timber and, increasingly, real estate. These policies have led to the accumulation of brush and other vegetation that is easily ignited and serves as fuel for wildfires. Most of the large fires with significant property damage have occurred in California, where some of the fastest developing counties are in forest areas.
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THE TEN MOST COSTLY WILDLAND FIRES IN THE UNITED STATES (1)
($000)
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Estimated insured loss |
Rank |
Date |
Location |
Wildland Fire |
Dollars when occurred |
In 2007 dollars (2) |
| 1 | Oct. 20-21, 1991 | California | Oakland Fire | $1,700,000 | $2,587,445 |
| 2 | Oct. 25-Nov. 4, 2003 | California | Cedar Fire | 1,060,000 | 1,194,228 |
| 3 | Oct. 21-24, 2007 | California | Witch Fire | 1,300,000 | 1,300,000 |
| 4 | Oct. 25-Nov. 3, 2003 | California | Old Fire | 975,000 | 1,098,465 |
| 5 | Nov. 2-3, 1993 | California | Los Angeles County Fire | 375,000 | 537,976 |
| 6 | Oct. 27-28, 1993 | California | Orange County Fire | 350,000 | 502,111 |
| 7 | Jun. 27-Jul. 2, 1990 | California | Santa Barbara Fire | 265,000 | 420,310 |
| 8 | May 10-16, 2000 | New Mexico | Cerro Grande Fire | 140,000 | 168,537 |
| 9 | Jun. 23-28, 2002 | Arizona | Rodeo Chediski Complex Fire | 120,000 | 138,277 |
| 10 | Sept. 22-30, 1970 | California | Oakland & Beverly Hills Fire | 24,848 | 132,757 |
(1) Property coverage only. Effective January 1, 1997, Property Claim Services (PCS) defines catastrophes as events that cause more than $25 million in insured property damage and that affect a significant number of insureds and insurers. From 1982 to 1996, PCS used a $5 million threshold in defining catastrophes. Before 1982, PCS used a $1 million threshold.
(2) Adjusted to 2007 dollars by the Insurance Information Institute.
Source: ISO's Property Claim Services Unit; Insurance Information Institute. |
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TOP TEN CATASTROPHIC WILDLAND FIRES IN CALIFORNIA, 1970-2007 (1)
($ millions)
Rank |
Date |
Location |
Dollars when occurred (2) |
In 2006 dollars (3) |
| 1 | Oct. 20-21, 1991 | Oakland, Alameda Counties, CA | $1,700.0 | $2,516.3 |
| 2 | Oct. 25-Nov. 4, 2003 | San Diego County, CA, "Cedar" | 1,060.0 | 1,161.4 |
| 3 | Oct. 25-Nov. 3, 2003 | San Bernardino County, CA, "Old" | 975.0 | 1,068.3 |
| 4 | Nov. 2-3, 1993 | Los Angeles County, CA | 375.0 | 523.2 |
| 5 | Oct. 27-28, 1993 | Orange County, CA | 350.0 | 488.3 |
| 6 | Jun. 27-Jul. 2, 1990 | Santa Barbara County, CA | 265.0 | 408.8 |
| 7 | July, 2007 | Lake Tahoe | 150.0 (4) | 150.0 |
| 8 | Sep. 22-30, 1970 | Oakland-Berkeley Hills, CA | 24.8 | 128.9 |
| 9 | Nov. 24-30, 1980 | Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Orange, Riverside, San Diego Counties, CA | 43.0 | 105.2 |
| 10 | Jul. 26-27, 1977 | Santa Barbara, Montecito, CA | 20.0 | 66.5 |
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(1) Estimated insured losses.
(2) Effective January 1, 1997, Property Claim Services (PCS) defines catastrophes as events that cause more than $25 million of insured property damage and that affect a significant number of insureds and insurers. From 1982 to 1996, PCS used a $5 million threshold in defining catastrophes.
(3) Adjusted to 2006 dollars by the Insurance Information Institute.
(4) Estimate; ISO figures haven't been issued for this fire.
Source: ISO's Property Claim Services Unit; Insurance Information Institute. |
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Rank |
State |
Number of fires |
Number of acres burned |
| 1 | CA | 9,093 | 1,087,110 |
| 2 | GA | 8,726 | 837,895 |
| 3 | NC | 7,000 | 54,658 |
| 4 | FL | 4,918 | 578,346 |
| 5 | SC | 3,842 | 17,064 |
| 6 | OK | 3,519 | 69,907 |
| 7 | AL | 3,373 | 64,262 |
| 8 | TN | 3,361 | 48,572 |
| 9 | OR | 2,561 | 648,046 |
| 10 | AZ | 2,240 | 101,381 |
(1) Year-to-date. As of December 31, 2007.
(2) Ranked by number of fires.
Source: National Interagency Coordination Center. |
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Click on the file names below to download the information.
In order to view Adobe Acrobat files, you will need the appropriate software. You can download Acrobat, free of charge, from the Adobe Web site ( http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/ ).
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 Download/View File: California Leading Writers (PDF) (8 K) | |
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