The Carr wildfire has burned through 110,154 acres of Shasta County in Northern California and destroyed or damaged almost 1,500 buildings at the latest estimate, even as containment efforts by authorities gain traction.
The fire is now 27% contained and the number of structures under threat has almost halved since yesterday, although the figure still remains high at 2,546, according to estimates from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).
The number of fatalities remains at six, including two firefighters, and efforts to re-populate some of the 38,000 people evacuated across the county have now begun.
Current estimates suggest that structures destroyed by the Carr wildfire include 884 residential buildings, 4 commercial, and 348 other, while structures damaged include 169 residential, 5 commercial, and 51 other.
Insurers and reinsurers will be watching the development of the Carr fire closely, as it is already considered one of the most destructive wildfires on record, and marks what experts consider to be the worst start to California’s wildfire season in ten years.
The severity of this year’s wildfires have been influenced by California’s historic 2012-2017 drought, in combination with a more recent period of dry, hot weather that has resulted in an abundance of dead, combustible vegetation.
Authorities also said that containment efforts have been hindered by challenging steep terrain and converging East and West winds that have whipped the blaze up into a firestorm.
While primary insurers are currently expected to absorb most of the losses from the Carr fire, reinsurance contracts could increasingly come into play if the fire continues to spread or if others break out.
The California Department of Insurance (CDI) has also suggested that evacuation costs may be covered by insurance policies, even if a resident’s home has not been destroyed or damaged.
State authorities currently believe that the cause of the Carr wildfire, which began last week on 23 July, was due to the mechanical failure of a vehicle.
