The Great Los Angeles Fire of 2025
- Thread starter Kaitzilla
- Start date
Stone buildings can be very comfortable in hot climates. Lots of stone buildings in medieval southern Asia for the elites who could afford them.
Zardnaar
Deity
Thick walls cool in summer, warm in winter.
banzay13
King
Yeah, if this area was build with concrete and ceramic, firefighters could have chance. Fire will not move so fast from building to building in such case.
And of coz you can build them with earthquake resistance (see Japan)
And of coz you can build them with earthquake resistance (see Japan)
banzay13
King
It's only cost much. But considering house prices here, it want change much in overall price (imo, I didn't build stone building in US. But in Russia it's not much costly). As usual, greed, I think,did job
Zardnaar
Deity
Building in stone is very pricey.
And yeah earthquakes. Think we build similar to California due to earthquakes.
It's millions of dollars to earthquake "proof" legacy buildings as well.
Old brick and stone buildings are death traps in an earthquake.
I think this might currently be the best fire map to understand the current situation better. ('Today' button clicked)
More News.
Still, the situation looks pretty good if I'm reading the map right.
They've kept it from spreading towards the vastly populated south I think.
The Palisades fire has spread north and east overnight.
Brentwood to the east is under threat now.
They are the area west of Interstate 405 and north of Santa Monica.
Lebron James, Kamala Harris, and Arnold Schwarzenegger could lose their homes.
The fire is
L.A. shaken by mass evacuations in Brentwood, Encino as winds keep fire danger high this weekend
Eleven deaths have been confirmed and more than 12,000 structures have been damaged or destroyed. Firefighters made more progress on containing the Eaton and Palisades fires overnight, but winds will continue to be a factor throughout the weekend.
www.latimes.com
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Zardnaar
Deity
Echoes of Crassus almost.
A Danish newspaper writes that thousands of affected homeowners, do not have fire insurance on their homes. US insurance companies stopped renewing insurance policies lately, precisely because it's considered a loss-making business model in that area. 
A decade or more of major fires cot the companies lots of moneyA Danish newspaper writes that thousands of affected homeowners, do not have fire insurance on their homes. US insurance companies stopped renewing insurance policies lately, precisely because it's considered a loss-making business model in that area.
California will soon require insurers to increase home coverage in wildfire-prone areas
California will soon require insurers to increase home coverage in wildfire-prone areas
California will start requiring property insurers to increase coverage in wildfire-prone areas after homeowners across the state increasingly struggle to find policies.
apnews.com
Updated 3:58 PM MST, December 30, 2024
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Insurance companies that stopped providing home coverage to hundreds of thousands of Californians in recent years as wildfires became more destructive will have to again provide policies in fire-prone areas if they want to keep doing business in California under a state regulation announced Monday.
The rule will require home insurers to offer coverage in high-risk areas, something the state has never done, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara’s office said in a statement. Insurers will have to start increasing their coverage by 5% every two years until they hit the equivalent of 85% of their market share. That means if an insurer writes 20 out of every 100 state policies, they’d need to write 17 in a high-risk area, Lara’s office said.
Fire Insurance in California: WIldfire Coverage Explained | Bankrate
Everything you need to know about wildfire insurance for homeowners in California.
Excerpt:
How do you get insurance in common wildfire areas?
It’s arguably never been harder to get homeowners insurance for a home in a California wildfire area. California is looking down the barrel of a statewide home insurance crisis due to some of the largest insurance companies limiting — or completely halting — the writing of new policies. Getting California fire insurance is difficult but not impossible.There are many home insurance companies still writing insurance throughout the state, and some are still serving high-fire-risk areas. If you’re struggling to secure fire insurance in California, other viable options may be the FAIR Plan or choosing an excess or surplus lines insurer, depending on your circumstances.
Property & casualty insurers
Seven of the 12 largest home insurance companies in California have either completely paused or drastically limited the number of new policies they’re able to take on. If you’re shopping for a California home insurance policy, you might want to know which companies have placed limitations:- State Farm: Paused writing new home policies in May 2023
- Farmers: Only writing 7,000 new home insurance policies per month
- Allstate: Paused writing new home insurance policies in November 2022
- USAA: Only writing home insurance policies in lower-risk wildfire areas
- Travelers: Writing fewer new home insurance policies, the extent to which is yet to be seen
- Nationwide: Scaled back the volume of new policies
- Chubb: Restricted high-value coverage in high-risk wildfire areas
The FAIR Plan
The California Fair Access to Insurance Requirements (FAIR) Plan is an insurance program of last resort for California homeowners unable to get home insurance in the private market. Contrary to common belief, the FAIR Plan is not state-backed or supported by California taxpayers. Rather, it is financially supported by the private insurance companies licensed to write home insurance in the state.Not every homeowner will qualify for a FAIR Plan policy. To get coverage, not only must a homeowner prove they have been denied in the private insurance market, but their home must also meet other criteria. Additionally, coverage is much less than what you’d find with a traditional home insurance company. Your dwelling and personal property are financially protected from four named perils — fire, lightning, internal explosions and smoke — and liability protection is not available. Homeowners looking for coverage beyond what the plan offers may purchase a Difference in Conditions (DIC) policy to help fill in the gaps. The California Department of Insurance maintains a list of which providers currently sell DIC policies on its website.
Zardnaar
Deity
A decade or more of major fires cot the companies lots of money
California will soon require insurers to increase home coverage in wildfire-prone areas
California will soon require insurers to increase home coverage in wildfire-prone areas
California will start requiring property insurers to increase coverage in wildfire-prone areas after homeowners across the state increasingly struggle to find policies.
Updated 3:58 PM MST, December 30, 2024
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Insurance companies that stopped providing home coverage to hundreds of thousands of Californians in recent years as wildfires became more destructive will have to again provide policies in fire-prone areas if they want to keep doing business in California under a state regulation announced Monday.
The rule will require home insurers to offer coverage in high-risk areas, something the state has never done, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara’s office said in a statement. Insurers will have to start increasing their coverage by 5% every two years until they hit the equivalent of 85% of their market share. That means if an insurer writes 20 out of every 100 state policies, they’d need to write 17 in a high-risk area, Lara’s office said.
Fire Insurance in California: WIldfire Coverage Explained | Bankrate
Everything you need to know about wildfire insurance for homeowners in California.www.bankrate.com
Excerpt:
How do you get insurance in common wildfire areas?
It’s arguably never been harder to get homeowners insurance for a home in a California wildfire area. California is looking down the barrel of a statewide home insurance crisis due to some of the largest insurance companies limiting — or completely halting — the writing of new policies. Getting California fire insurance is difficult but not impossible.
There are many home insurance companies still writing insurance throughout the state, and some are still serving high-fire-risk areas. If you’re struggling to secure fire insurance in California, other viable options may be the FAIR Plan or choosing an excess or surplus lines insurer, depending on your circumstances.
Property & casualty insurers
Seven of the 12 largest home insurance companies in California have either completely paused or drastically limited the number of new policies they’re able to take on. If you’re shopping for a California home insurance policy, you might want to know which companies have placed limitations:
However, there are other companies in the state that are worth looking into before delving into last-resort options. Coverage isn’t guaranteed, but if you’re having trouble getting quotes, consider:
- State Farm: Paused writing new home policies in May 2023
- Farmers: Only writing 7,000 new home insurance policies per month
- Allstate: Paused writing new home insurance policies in November 2022
- USAA: Only writing home insurance policies in lower-risk wildfire areas
- Travelers: Writing fewer new home insurance policies, the extent to which is yet to be seen
- Nationwide: Scaled back the volume of new policies
- Chubb: Restricted high-value coverage in high-risk wildfire areas
The FAIR Plan
The California Fair Access to Insurance Requirements (FAIR) Plan is an insurance program of last resort for California homeowners unable to get home insurance in the private market. Contrary to common belief, the FAIR Plan is not state-backed or supported by California taxpayers. Rather, it is financially supported by the private insurance companies licensed to write home insurance in the state.
Not every homeowner will qualify for a FAIR Plan policy. To get coverage, not only must a homeowner prove they have been denied in the private insurance market, but their home must also meet other criteria. Additionally, coverage is much less than what you’d find with a traditional home insurance company. Your dwelling and personal property are financially protected from four named perils — fire, lightning, internal explosions and smoke — and liability protection is not available. Homeowners looking for coverage beyond what the plan offers may purchase a Difference in Conditions (DIC) policy to help fill in the gaps. The California Department of Insurance maintains a list of which providers currently sell DIC policies on its website.
Not sure this is a good idea. Arguably peopke shouldn't be living in those high risk areas. Also they don't seem to cap premiums. Anything stopping the companies in effect pricing the policies so high they're in effect banned anyway?
Many of CA (and other states') communities were not high risk when they were created 50 to 100 years ago. The risks from floods, fire and storms have been changing and getting worse over time. In addition, once an area is burned over so thoroughly, the risk of a next fire goes down.
There is no discussion of the fact that getting "properties sprayed with fire-retardant gels" means spraying large amounts of fluorinated forever chemicals in an urban environment. We do not really know their health effects, but they are not good for you. I would certainly not want to live in a house sprayed with them, and I would not be happy if my neighbour did.
From the VA:
Health problems that may be associated with PFAS
- Fertility issues and pregnancy-induced hypertension/preeclampsia
- Increased cholesterol
- Changes in the immune system
- Increased risk of certain cancers (e.g., testicular and kidney cancer)
- Changes in fetal and child development
- Liver damage
- Increased risk of thyroid disease
- Increased risk of asthma
I would have just assumed it was the same sort of reṫardants used by real firefighters:
Also can the mods do something about the stupid censor not being able to tell the difference between a slur and a normal word. Surely we're not still having issues with the Sċunthorpe problem.
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I could very easily be wrong. I assumed it was this sort of thing:
Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF) is a fluorinated foam and when mixed with water, the resulting solution achieves the interfacial tension characteristics needed to produce an aqueous film that spreads across the surface of a hydrocarbon fuel (petroleum greases, tars, oils, and gasoline; and solvents and alcohols) to extinguish the fire and to form a vapor barrier between the fuel and atmospheric oxygen to prevent re-ignition. This film formation is the defining feature of AFFF. AFFF has been used at chemical plants, flammable liquid storage and processing facilities, merchant operations (oil tankers, offshore platforms), municipal services (fire departments, firefighting training centers), oil refineries, terminals, and bulk fuel storage farms, aviation operations (aircraft rescue and firefighting, hangars), in some industrial fire extinguishers, and military facilities.
A very good topic.
Here is more on it.
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