California wildfires News

Report Forecasts ‘Above-Normal’ U.S. Wildfire Season, Worse in Drought-Plagued West

The U.S. has in store an “above-normal” wildfire season if a prediction out on Wednesday from fire weather experts holds true – “intense” may be a better word for the expectations in Western region. Early predictions for the 2022 fire …

PG&E’s Criminal Probation to End Amid Ongoing Safety Worries

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)–Pacific Gas & Electric is poised to emerge from five years of criminal probation, despite worries that nation’s largest utility remains too dangerous to trust after years of devastation from wildfires ignited by its outdated equipment and neglectful …

California Utility Says its Equipment May Be Linked to Fire

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Pacific Gas & Electric equipment may have been involved in the start of the big Dixie Fire burning in the Sierra Nevada, the nation’s largest utility reported to California regulators. PG&E said in a report Sunday …

Travelers Profit Rises With Higher Premiums, Lower Costs

Oct 20 — Property and casualty insurer Travelers Companies Inc beat third-quarter profit expectations on Tuesday, helped by higher premiums, lower costs and an increase in returns from non-fixed income investments. The New York-based company, seen as a bellwether for …

Hurricane Laura and the California Fires Are Part of the Same Crisis

As Hurricane Laura pounded the U.S. Gulf Coast with nearly 150 mile-per-hour winds, causing water levels to rise almost 10 feet above normal in the wee hours of the morning, wildfires in California were still raging across more than a …

Baupost Collects $3 Billion Wagering on PG&E’s Wildfire Claims

Baupost Group, the hedge fund run by Seth Klarman, received more than $3 billion in July from its bet on insurance claims against PG&E Corp. connected to a series of deadly California wildfires, according to people with knowledge of the …

Financial Tug-of-War Emerges over Fire Victims’ Settlement

SAN FRANCISCO — A financial tug-of-war is emerging over the $13.5 billion that the nation’s largest utility has agreed to pay to victims of recent California wildfires, as government agencies jockey for more than half the money to cover the …

Industry Representative Puts Fire Insurance Availability at Feet of Commissioner

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara will have to choose whether he wants insurers to charge higher rates or to stop writing homeowners insurance in fire-prone areas, an industry representative said following new wildfire directives announced by the commissioner. Lara on …

Dispute Erupts Over Radios Utility Workers Use in California Wildfires

Radio technology that’s critical to helping utility workers deal with California wildfires is at the heart of a trial that pits an iconic American brand against a Chinese firm accused of corporate espionage. Motorola Solutions Inc. wants a federal jury …

Winds Whip California as 2.5 Million People Face Power Cuts

California utilities are warning they may cut electricity to as many as 2.5 million people to prevent power lines from sparking fires as some of the strongest winds of the season hit the state. High winds Tuesday will leave more …