By Vince Ciulla, vice president of personal lines, Van Gilder Insurance

Claims from wildfires have skyrocketed in the last decade as more urbanites move to forested areas. In Colorado alone, more than 1 million people live near National Forest lands or in the mountains and foothills, otherwise known as the Wildfire Urban Interface (WUI).

We only have to look at the high price tag of last year's Waldo Canyon wildfire, roughly across the highway from this year's Black Forest wildfire, to see the enormous cost: the number estimated for insured losses is $292.8 million. Insurers paid out an estimated $453.7 million for the 2012 Waldo Canyon wildfire that destroyed 347 homes in the Colorado Springs area and is the state's most costly wildfire.

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