Fires In LA

[JoeKitchen]

So the fires in LA are looking pretty tremendous and catastrophic given the coverage. 

I realize LA is rather large geographically; how bad is this right now?  How much of the city do you think this is going to effect? 

[digitaldog]

https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/07/weather/gallery/california-wildfires/index.html

[JoeKitchen]

Just spoke to an AD in NYC who is in a private chat group with people in the film industry. 

Universal has closed it lots.  Prop houses are starting to shut down.  Disney just shut down all filming.  Warner Brothers is near there as well, so they will probably shut down filming as well. 

Just talking to people I know in the film industry and it is mayhem in LA.  This is bad. 

[BAB]

Unfortunately with the winds we have had the hot embers are traveling with ease. Firefights are doing their best but in many areas  the pressure in the hydrants is to low or no pressure at all causing loss to structures along those water lines. Pandemonium is the best description at this point.

[dreed]

The insurance bill for this is going to be massive, so get ready for your insurance premiums to go up again.

Losses from fire to expected to exceed $50 billion.

https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2025-01-09/loss-from-wildfires-could-surpass-50-billion

[Rob C]

Why do so many American houses get built from wood? Is there something against the general use of bricks?

[Frans Waterlander]

Why do so many American houses get built from wood? Is there something against the general use of bricks?

Yes, earthquakes.

[digitaldog]

How L.A. conquered an earthquake danger zone: Brick buildings
https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-how-l-a-conquered-an-earthquake-danger-zone-brick-buildings-20151009-story.html
Los Angeles was one of the first cities in California to require retrofitting of unreinforced brick buildings. Of about 8,000 buildings, almost all have been retrofitted or demolished after a 1981 law.

[BAB]

Loss estimates reported are increasing daily approaching several hundred billion, cal insurance program for structure dwellings fire loss only has 250m in reserves.
The solutions being floated around to repay and allow insurance companies to recover the billions they pay out from the citizens of California are so bad. In other words regardless of what the government did individuals will pay 3500-5000 a year extra in homeowners insurance to make up the losses in the state. Insurance companies get whole, state of California gets whole and the people loose.

[Robert Roaldi]

Loss estimates reported are increasing daily approaching several hundred billion, cal insurance program for structure dwellings fire loss only has 250m in reserves.
The solutions being floated around to repay and allow insurance companies to recover the billions they pay out from the citizens of California are so bad. In other words regardless of what the government did individuals will pay 3500-5000 a year extra in homeowners insurance to make up the losses in the state. Insurance companies get whole, state of California gets whole and the people loose.

Patrick Boyle recently released a video in which he laid out the magnitude of the problem https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7zKIKEMlhY.

[degrub]

Most of the property insurance companies should have had most of their risk covered by  "reinsurance" where other companies buy some of the risk. Only if that wasn't done or it was the insurer of last resort would there be huge issues. Property owners taking a hit for the next 20 years after a major loss - that's normal and the way insurance works  - it will affect all of the policy holders as everyone shares in the risk.