California’s October wildfire claims top $9.4 billion

The Hilton Sonoma burns to the ground during the October North Bay wildfires./ REUTERS

Insured losses for the October wildfires that tore through Northern and Southern California have topped $9.4 billion in residential and commercial claims, the California Department of Insurance said Wednesday. 

Commissioner Dave Jones said in a statement that the North Bay fires account for $9 billion in claimed losses alone.

The insurance department said 260 insurers have provided updated claims loss data. This includes 2,814 commercial property claims resulting in 997 total losses, which encompasses commercial enterprises and multifamily apartments with four or more units.

The latest report from the department provides information on destruction and damage for more than 21,000 homes, 2,800 businesses, and more than 6,100 private autos and commercial vehicles, as well as 788 losses involving other lines of insurance such as agricultural equipment and watercraft.

The report said there have been about $790 million in direct incurred commercial property losses.

Forty-four people died in the wildfires, which Mr. Jones said “have now proven to be the most destructive and deadliest in our state's history.”