Featured Image Credit: David McNew/Getty Images/ZOE MEYERS/AFP via Getty Images
Topics: Los Angeles, Money, Wildfires, World News, Climate Change
Lucy Devine
Topics: Los Angeles, Money, Wildfires, World News, Climate Change
Five days on from the beginning of the Los Angeles wildfires and over 12,000 structures have been destroyed with more than 180,000 people evacuated.
The wildfires first emerged on Tuesday (7 January) in the Pacific Palisades area of the city.
As firefighters and responders worked tirelessly to contain the blaze, high speed winds, and dry conditions resulted in the 'perfect storm', allowing the fire to spread rapidly over the following days.
The Palisades fire remains the largest, having spread to more than 20,000 acres. Meanwhile, there are also four others - Eaton, Kenneth, Hurst, and Lidia - still burning.
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At least 11 people have now died due to the various wildfires, while many homes have burned down.
Meanwhile, with the evacuation zone extended on Saturday (11 January) and high speed winds expected in the coming days, experts have warned it could be weeks before the fires are completely contained.
For the residents of LA - especially those who have lost their homes in the blaze - another devastating blow has emerged.
In recent years, a number of top insurers have refused to cover certain areas of LA, including those most at risk for wildfires and other natural disasters. This is a particular issue in the likes of Pacific Palisades and Altadena, which have been hit hard in the latest wildfires.
Just last month, a US Senate report on the insurance market warned: “Climate-related extreme weather events will become both more frequent and more violent, resulting in ever-scarcer insurance and ever-higher premiums. Climate change is no longer just an environmental problem. It is a looming economic threat.”
In 2024, one of the state's largest insurers, State Farm, said it would be dropping coverage for 30,000 home insurance policies.
According to Fox, State Farm cited inflation, regulatory costs and increasing risk of catastrophes as part of its decision.
In a statement on Thursday, the insurer said: "Our No. 1 priority right now is the safety of our customers, agents and employees impacted by the fires and assisting our customers in the midst of this tragedy."
But it's not just State Farm. According to the California Department of Insurance, seven out of 12 of the biggest insurers have slashed coverage in the state in the last three years.
Without adequate insurance, homeowners have a choice of having no coverage at all, or seeking help from the California FAIR Plan, which provides basic fire coverage for high-risk areas when insurance companies will not.
Around 1,400 homes were reliant on this, in Pacific Palisades, last year.
Those without home insurance could be faced with rebuild costs themselves, which for many residents, would be totally unaffordable.
You can support those affected by the fires by donating to the Red Cross online, by calling (800) 733-2767 or texting REDCROSS to 90999.