(The Center Square) – Devastating fires continued to burn across Southern California Wednesday, with homes and other buildings destroyed in Los Angeles County. Five people have been confirmed dead so far, with hundreds injured as they race to flee the flames.
Making matters even worse, some families who have lost their homes will not be reimbursed through homeowners insurance policies. That’s in part due to the exodus of insurance companies from California due to the rising losses from wildfires in the state.
As reported by Newsweek, several private insurers cut coverage in at-risk areas in California in the last couple of years as state regulators prevented companies from raising premiums to match their growing risk.
The Center Square contacted the Office of the Washington State Insurance Commissioner to ask about wildfire coverage for homeowners in the Evergreen State.
Aaron VanTuyl, a communications manager with the agency’s Public Affairs office, said anyone with a basic homeowner’s policy in Washington is covered for fire risk but cautioned policyholders should review their coverage.
“That’s a very sad thing we saw after the Gray and Oregon Road Fires with a lot of people who just didn’t have enough insurance coverage hitting their policy limit,” VanTuyl explained.
He was referring to the August 2023 fires in Spokane County, which destroyed hundreds of structures, burned tens of thousands of acres, and claimed the lives of two people.
“We recommend you talk to your agent or broker once a year to check everything out, and make sure you have enough coverage, including additional living expense coverage,” VanTuyl added.
He noted many policies do not include coverage for extended stays in another location if your home is destroyed, or for debris removal after a fire, so that’s another thing to check on.
VanTuyl noted the price of building materials and labor has gone up so much in recent years, advising homeowners to check their policies to make sure they are covered enough to rebuild.
“It’s the value to rebuild your home that you have to look at, and it’s good to make sure you’ve got coverage that updates to align with whatever new building codes there are if you have to rebuild,” he continued.
Given western Washington’s earthquake risk – the second highest in the nation – standard policies do not cover earthquake damage.
“It’s separate and expensive, so most people don’t have it,” VanTuyl pointed out.
According to Insurify.com, earthquake coverage typically has a high deductible of 10% to 25% of the structure’s policy limit. Some insurers require an inspection of the property, expensive upgrades like bolting a home to the foundation, and strapping in fixtures like water heaters to obtain earthquake coverage.