California regulator approves State Farm’s request for 22% premium hike for homeowners after LA fires
An Californian insurance regulator has announced that he would approve an emergency request by State Farm to raise premiums 22% on home insurance for about a million customers if the insurance giant could justify the hike at a public hearing. State Farm, the state’s largest insurer with roughly 1 million home insurance policies in California, […]
Helitak Fire Fighting Equipment open new production facility in California
Helitak Fire Fighting Equipment, a leading manufacturer of advanced aerial firefighting systems, has announced the opening of a second production facility in Camarillo, California. Previously serving as a service center and parts distribution hub for North American customers, the facility will now begin manufacturing the UH-60 Fire Tank model number FT4500. This expansion is a […]
California fire safety officials announcing warning to Edison about wind monitoring before Eaton Fire
California fire safety officials have announced that they have warned Southern California Edison to improve weather tracking to help prevent wind-driven fire, but the utility maintained before the Eaton Fire that its effort met world standards. State officials first told the utility back in 2022 that more frequent weather tracking was critical to boost Edison’s […]
Steve Carell gifts Southern Californian high school students with free prom tickets
Actor Steve Carell is sending Southern California high school students affected by the wildfires in Los Angeles to the prom for free. Actor Steve Carell has announced that he is sending Southern California high school students affected by the wildfires to the prom for free. Video shared by Steve Carell The “Office” actor and comedian shared in […]
Los Angeles County sues Southern California Edison
Los Angeles County has announced that it is suing Southern California Edison, alleging that the utility’s equipment sparked January’s Eaton Fire, which destroyed more than 9,400 structures and killed 17 people in the Altadena area. Statement from LA County In a statement from LA County, they said: “The lawsuit seeks to recover costs and damages sustained […]
California strengthens resiliency with 2024 International Wildland-Urban Interface Code
On February 26, 2025, the State of California announced that they have adopted the 2024 International Wildland-Urban Interface Code (IWUIC) as the basis for Title 24, Part 7, 2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code to address escalating wildfire risks, enhance fire resilience with science-based standards and set the benchmark for safer, more sustainable communities in fire-prone areas. California’s […]
Trump’s spending freeze halts key California wildfire work
A federal agency overseeing 15 million acres of public lands in California has halted some fire prevention work because of the freeze in government funding directed by President Donald Trump. The Bureau of Land Management confirmed it had stopped all plans to clear hazardous overgrowth on public lands across the country if the projects were to be paid […]
California fire hazard severity zones expanded under new Cal Fire maps
New Cal Fire maps increase fire safety requirements across California The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) has begun rolling out updated fire hazard severity maps, expanding areas subject to stricter fire safety building regulations. According to the LA Times, the updated maps will increase the total acreage classified as “very high” […]
Verizon Foundation provides funding to support wildfire recovery in Southern California
The Verizon Foundation is providing an additional $500,000 to support the work of four community partners delivering on-the-ground resources to those directly affected by the Southern California fires and windstorms. These funds add to $1 million already provided to the American Red Cross and the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation (LAFD). The additional contributions aim to provide support for […]
A state under siege: How the January 2025 wildfires decimated California
FSJA examines the scale and impact of California’s January 2025 wildfires, including damages, evacuations and community responses The wildfires that began on January 7, 2025, in Southern California had already caused major damage across Los Angeles County by mid-January. Reports indicated that the most destructive incidents, known as the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire, […]
