A newly released briefing assesses wildfire risk in the United States during a year in which insured losses from wildfires could top $1.75 billion.
Guy Carpenter & Co. L.L.C. released “U.S. Wildfire: An Ever Present Hazard,” which provides insight into the threat of U.S. wildfires, risk mitigation strategies, and portfolio modeling, Guy Carpenter said Monday in a statement.
According to data from the National Interagency Fire Center, more than 9.27 million acres were burned by wildfires through Oct. 8. The 10-year average is around 6.3 million acres.
Preliminary data suggests that 2015 insured losses from wildfires may approach or exceed $1.75 billion, according to the statement.
“Wildfires are a complex peril due to a number of varying prediction factors such as temperature, rainfall deficit and wind conditions,” James Waller, research meteorologist for Guy Carpenter said in the statement. “As winter approaches, a strong El Niño should bring much needed rainfall to most of California and the Southwest, However, the Northwest will likely continue to experience dry conditions through the winter.”
With estimated wildfire losses topping $1.3 billion in the first half of this year, the Insurance Information Institute put out a list of the 10 costliest wildfires in the U.S. View the gallery