California Faces a Staggering $20 Billion Wildfire Insurance Crisis, and ‘Sad Surprises’ May Be Ahead for Homeowners

The catastrophe has been years in the making as the state’s largest insurance companies discontinued coverage for thousands of residents and slowed the writing of new policies.

AP Photo/Ethan Swope
Water is dropped by helicopter on the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills section of Los Angeles, January 9, 2025. AP Photo/Ethan Swope

The wildfires burning across Southern California are on their way to being the most costly natural disaster in the history of the state, with estimates that insurers are facing losses exceeding $20 billion.

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