Most of the $12bn in damages relate to the Paradise fire, which killed 85 and destroyed nearly 19,000 buildings

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Insurance claims have topped $12bn for the November wildfires in California, making them the most expensive in state history.

The figure released on Wednesday by the insurance commissioner, Ricardo Lara, covers the fire that destroyed the town of Paradise and two southern California blazes.

Most of the damages relate to the Camp fire, which killed 85 people and destroyed nearly 19,000 buildings in Paradise.

California experienced some of the deadliest and most destructive wildfires in its history in 2017 and 2018. A series of sweeping fires in late 2017 had been the most expensive, with claims topping $11.8bn.

The increasing destruction is making it harder and more costly for people to obtain homeowners insurance.

The insurance department has started collecting data on policy non-renewals to better assess patterns and locations where coverage is being dropped, Lara said earlier this year.

“Wildfire has long been part of California’s landscape, and insurers understand that California faces major wildfire risk,” said Nicole Mahrt-Ganley of the American Property Casualty Insurance Association, which represents about 60% of the nation’s property casualty insurance market.

'Paradise was sent to hell': revisiting the town destroyed by wildfire Read more

“Insurers continue to be committed to doing business in California,” she added in a statement noting that the state’s market is one of the nation’s largest.

California lawmakers are grappling this year with ways to address the cost and destruction of wildfires.

Pacific Gas & Electric, the state’s largest utility, filed for bankruptcy in January, saying it could not afford potentially tens of billions of dollars in liability costs related to fires.

State law makes utilities financially liable for damages from wildfires caused by their equipment, even if they are not found to be negligent.