Latest news with #CalFire
CBS News
3 days ago
- CBS News
Stockton man suspected of starting Northern California fire as retaliation
Cal Fire on Saturday said a Stockton man was arrested on suspicion of setting fire to a Butte County resident's property in late June as retaliation. The man allegedly drove up to Palemo on Jun 28 with two people, and got into a "heated argument" with the resident on June 29, Cal Fire said. After the argument, he allegedly set fire to the resident's property and drove back to Stockton, Cal Fire said. According to Cal Fire, investigators identified 50-year-old Stockton resident Raymond Lee Wilson as a suspect. He was arrested on July 17 on a signed warrant, Cal Fire said. He was arrested without incident and booked into the Butte County Jail on suspicion of arson to wildland and use of an accelerant, Cal Fire said. His bail was set to $150,000. The fire burned one acre.
CBS News
3 days ago
- Automotive
- CBS News
The Dale Fire is 55% contained after burning close to 1,100 acres in Riverside County
The Dale Fire is 55% contained Saturday morning after burning almost 1,100 acres in Riverside County, according to Cal Fire. The fire broke out Wednesday afternoon near Riverdale Drive and Highway 371 in Aguanga. The Dale Fire was one of two brush fires that started at about the same time. Firefighters were able to contain the second fire within two hours, but the Dale Fire quickly grew. Multiple unoccupied buildings were damaged or destroyed by the fire. No injuries were reported. A segment of the Cahuilla Indian Reservation was placed under an evacuation order, while surrounding locations were under evacuation warnings as a precaution. Most orders were lifted by midnight. The Cahuilla Creek Motorcross and the Cahuilla Casino Hotel, both south of the 371, were briefly evacuated. Neither location was not damaged by the fire. Both sides of the 371 were shut down Wednesday at the Lake Riverside area, but all lane closures were lifted by Thursday. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
San Francisco Chronicle
4 days ago
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
L.A. wildfires broke record for costliest in the history of the planet
The Eaton and Palisades fires in Los Angeles are now the costliest set of wildfires in global history, according to a new insurance industry report. Gallagher Re, a global reinsurance firm, estimates that the January fires caused economic losses of $65 billion, including $40 billion of insured damage. That makes the two blazes the 'costliest individual wildfire events ever recorded for the (re)insurance industry,' according to the report released Wednesday. Reinsurance firms provide insurance to insurance companies in order to handle the costs of major catastrophes, such as large wildfires, and closely track the costs of such events. Measured by structures destroyed — which includes homes as businesses as well as barns and sheds — the Eaton and Palisades fires are the second and third most destructive fires in state history, respectively, according to Cal Fire. Their massive scale of devastation is only outpaced by the 2018 Camp Fire, which destroyed more than 18,800 structures in and around the community of Paradise (Butte County). The Eaton Fire, which killed 18 people, is also the fifth deadliest wildfire in California. The Palisades Fire is the ninth deadliest, with 12 deaths. Though previous fires have burned more structures, the Palisades and Eaton fires uniquely ripped through scores of highly expensive homes. Data from the California Department of Insurance shows that insurance companies, including the California FAIR Plan, have paid out $17.1 billion to customers as of May 12. That number is likely to get much higher as clean up continues and residents return to rebuild. But it's already far outpaced the previous record for costliest wildfire years in California history — 2017 and 2018, when historic fires seasons cost about $12 billion a year in insured losses. The Los Angeles fires prompted renewed attention to the insurance industry and led to scores of lawsuits that accuse insurance companies of illegally colluding to drive up prices and purposefully underinsuring clients. Insurance companies have largely declined to comment on the litigation; industry representatives have refuted such allegations, pointing instead to market forces and a lack of homeowner knowledge. Last month, the California Department of Insurance launched an investigation into State Farm General's claims practices; the insurer said investigators will find it's helped thousands of people to recover. The department also launched a task force to create the first-ever statewide standards for smoke claims in response to homeowners' complaints that insurance companies are denying coverage for testing and proper cleanup of homes sullied by smoke but not burned. California wildfire losses for 2025 could rise further as the state's traditional fire season kicks off. All of that might seem to complicate California officials' efforts to tame the state's ongoing insurance crisis, which first kicked off after the massive blazes of 2017 and 2018. But so far, no insurance company has announced plans to exit the state, stop writing policies or drop existing customers en masse, said Deputy Insurance Commissioner Michael Soller. That's a big departure from historic wildfires of the past, which have prompted insurers like State Farm and Allstate to cut back on their presence in the state and even drove one smaller insurer out of business. Instead, many insurers seem to be waiting for a set of reforms spearheaded by Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara set to take full effect this summer. These reforms are widely expected to lead to increased insurance prices, but regulators promise they'll also persuade more insurance companies to write policies in high-fire-risk areas. 'We're still on track for what we expected before these fires,' Soller said.
CBS News
4 days ago
- Automotive
- CBS News
Big-rig fire shuts down westbound I-580 at Altamont Pass
All lanes on westbound Interstate 580 at the Altamont Pass are blocked Friday morning after due to a vehicle fire. According to firefighters, a big-rig caught fire in the westbound direction near Grant Line Road shortly before 6 a.m. The fire had spread into nearby vegetation. Crews with Cal Fire along with the Alameda County Fire Department responded to the scene. As of about 6:40 a.m., firefighters said forward progress of the fire has been stopped. All westbound lanes of the freeway remain blocked, with traffic being diverted off Grant Line Road. There is no estimated time of reopening. This is a breaking news alert. More details to come.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Dale fire burns 331 acres in Riverside County, prompting evacuation orders
A brush fire ignited in mountain foothills in Riverside County on Wednesday afternoon, quickly growing to 331 acres and prompting evacuation orders in nearby rural communities, authorities said. The Dale fire was reported shortly after 12:30 p.m. by Lugo Road and Highway 371 in Aguanga, according to the Riverside Unit of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The blaze was initially burning at a moderate rate of spread and crews were making good progress on the fire's perimeter at 3:15 p.m., according to Cal Fire Riverside. Residents living in areas of Lake Riverside, Aguanga, Anza and the Cahuilla Reservation close to the fire were ordered to evacuate, while those slightly farther away were placed under evacuation warnings. A map of the communities affected by the orders is available here. A care and reception center was opened for affected residents at the Anza Community Center, at 56630 Highway 371 in Anza. An animal evacuation center was established at the Riverside County Department of Animal Services, at 581 S. Grand Ave. in San Jacinto. There were 216 firefighting personnel, 37 engines, four dozers, four water tankers and two helicopters assigned to the incident, according to Cal Fire. The fire was 0% contained as of 6 p.m. The temperature was in the mid-80s with winds gusting to 10 mph at the time the fire ignited, according to the National Weather Service. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
