NU Online News Service, June 20, 3:13 p.m. EDT

Two major wildfires continue to burn in Colorado and New Mexico weeks after lightening ignited the infernos, and the active blazes have prevented insurers from assessing the extent of homeowner losses.

“We are not at that point yet where we know what the insured losses are,” says Carole Walker, executive director of the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association. “Our adjusters are waiting for access.”

Wildfires that continue to rage in Colorado and New Mexico have consumed close to 400,000 acres and destroyed at least 460 structures.

In Larimer County, Colo., the High Park fire has destroyed 189 homes as of this morning, and that figure is expected to grow according to the U.S. Forest Service. That fire is 55 percent contained, but more progress is expected through today, says Walker.

In New Mexico, the Little Bear Fire in Lincoln County, has destroyed 242 residential and commercial structures and 12 outbuildings and is 60 percent contained after two-and-a-half weeks.

Both fires are said to have started by lightening strikes, the U.S. Forest Service says.

Walker says officials have not said when it will be safe enough for claims adjusters to begin getting into the fire damaged areas, but a wide range of claims are expected from smoke damage and destroyed property. Besides structural damage, there may also be claims for cars, trailers and other property left behind when people were told to evacuate.

She says people are visiting insurers' claims centers and getting help with evacuation expenses.

Angela Thorpe, a spokeswoman with State Farm says there have been about 60 claims filed so far in Colorado and approximately 30 in New Mexico, but that figure is expected to grow as people get back into their homes and assess the damage.

She says some claimants have been told by neighbors or firefighters that their homes were gone.

“It's a tight-knit community,” says Thorpe.

She says the company is also anticipating where losses will come from fire maps that indicate how intense the fires are.

Thorpe says that for now the company is “cutting some sizeable checks” for people who were evacuated and need living expense until they get back to their home and determine how bad the damage really is.

Officially, the Insurance Services Office Property Claim Services says it has not declared a catastrophe from the fires, but continues to monitor the situation closely.

Tomas Girnius, senior scientist at AIR Worldwide, says, “Extreme heat, low humidity, and high winds—these are the ingredients catastrophic wildfires are made of.

He adds, “The High Park Fire is now considered to be the most destructive in Colorado history. The previous record of 169 homes destroyed was set less than two years ago by the Four Mile Canyon Fire outside of Boulder in September, 2010.

“Across the U.S., wildfire season is off to an active and, arguably, early start. At least seven states report actively burning wildfires, with at least five of those reporting at least some property damage.”

Special Reports /

Rocky Mountain Wildfires Keep Insurers from Assessing Claims

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