California again protecting insurance policies in fire affected areas | SierraSun.com
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California again protecting insurance policies in fire affected areas

Staff Report
Mosquito Fire map
Provided

FORESTHILL, Calif. — Those impacted by the Mosquito Fire do not have to worry about being dropped by their insurance companies.

California on Thursday temporarily banned insurance companies from dropping customers in areas affected by recent wildfires, a day after evacuation orders were lifted for residents near the state’s largest fire so far this year that began Sept. 6.

Three days of rain helped firefighters squash the wildfire and grow containment to 60%. Seventy-eight structures have been lost and another two dozen are damaged across El Dorado and Placer counties.



California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara on Thursday invoked a law Thursday aimed at protecting homeowners in the wildfire-plagued state.

Lara ordered insurance companies to maintain residential insurance for one year for Californians who live near one of several major wildfires that have burned across the state.



The Department of Insurance estimates the moratorium will affect policies covering about 236,000 people in portions of Placer, El Dorado and Riverside counties, according to the Associated Press.

“Wildfires are devastating even if you did not lose your home, so it is absolutely critical to give people breathing room after a disaster. This is not the time to be having to search for insurance,” Lara said in a statement reported by the AP.

The law was implemented in 2019, when more than 15 major wildfires burned homes across the state.

Officials expect total containment of the Mosquito Fire by mid-October.


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