NU Online News Service, May 11, 3:41 p.m. EDT
Wildfires in the Santa Barbara region of California have claimed a total of 77 homes putting home loss value at around $38.5 million according to figures supplied by a catastrophe risk modeling firm.
According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Web site, the Jesusita fire, which began early last week, has burned more than 8,733 acres, destroying 77 residences and damaging 22 others. The fire also destroyed 60 outbuildings and damaged 69 others costing the cash strapped state close to $11 million to fight.
The site said a full assessment of the number of losses would be posted soon.
The fire, which is 70 percent contained, still threatens 500 homes, but an evacuation order affecting approximately 13,000 residents was downgraded to warnings over the weekend allowing some to return home as cooler weather aided firefighters in quelling the fire.
Boston-based AIR Worldwide noted that while fires are rare at this time of the year in California, this particular blaze was fueled by four to five decades of accumulated dried underbrush and shrubs that have collected over decades because the region has experienced no fires. The region has also been experiencing an ongoing drought, noted Tomas Girnius, senior research scientist at AIR. He said high winds contributed to an explosive fire situation.
AIR said the median home value for the Jesusita area is $500,000, but there were also a number of multi-million-dollar mansions that were reportedly destroyed. That would put the total median value of homes lost in the blaze at approximately $38.5 million.
The Property Claim Services Unit of Jersey City, N.J.-based Insurance Services Office, assigns a catastrophe number to an event when the insured losses reach at least $25 million and a significant number of policyholders and insurers are affected.
In an e-mail statement, Gary Kerney, assistant vice president for Property Claim Services, said "PCS is monitoring the loss reports from the fire. At this time the fire losses are not sufficient for a declaration but other losses are possible.
The Insurance Information Network of California said that as of Jan. 8 of this year, the state recorded 859 homes destroyed and insured losses of $721 million and total claims of 4,968.
According to the County of Santa Barbara, Calif., Web site, the fire started on the Jesusita trail on May 5 from sparks created by power equipment used to clear brush on the trail. Authorities are seeking information to identify the individuals using the power tools.
(This story was updated May 12 at 9:42 a.m. EDT)
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