Wildfire

Besides the pandemic and hurricanes, 2020 will be remembered for wildfires in the Western United States.

The western United States has several characteristics that make it particularly prone to wildfires.

The peak of the wildfire season across the U.S. Southwest occurs in June and early July.

The bushfires raging across Australia have many asking if climate change caused this extreme event.

Multiple wildfires in both Northern and Southern California raged in October. Although these fires collectively burned through thousands of acres in different areas, one major factor driving them all is wind.

In 2017 the Tubbs Fire destroyed more than 5,600 structures, but a wildfire that occurred in the same area in 1964—the Hanley Fire—only destroyed about 100 homes and cabins.

AIR is often asked where losses from extreme events fall on our exceedance probability (EP) curve. However, likening industry loss estimates to AIR’s published EP curve is not a valid comparison.

In a blog published earlier this year, I commented on the potential future effects of arctic amplification and noted that one of them would be an increase in wildfires.

AIR has a long and proud history of sending out engineering teams to conduct damage surveys in the wake of major catastrophe events.

Wildfires need three things—conducive weather, a source of ignition, and a supply of fuel.