Keyword
wildfire
California firefighters stretched thin as blazes sweep state
August 23, 2016 Don Thompson - THE ASSOCIATED PRESSSACRAMENTO, Calif. – California’s state fire department is stretched thin just as the bone-dry state enters the peak of its wildfire season, with vacancy rates exceeding 15 per cent for some firefighters and supervisors. The vacancy rate is more than…
Homes more resistant to ignition by embers had improved survival in Fort Mac wildfire, “luck” not a factor: ICLR report
August 22, 2016 by Canadian UnderwriterSurviving homes in otherwise decimated neighbourhoods of Fort McMurray hit by this spring’s massive wildfire were more resistant to ignition by embers, notes a preliminary report issued by the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR). Home survival is not random…
Crews make major gains against Southern California wildfire
August 20, 2016 Christopher Weber and Christine Armario - THE ASSOCIATED PRESSSAN BERNARDINO, Calif. – Lisa Gregory has kept a close eye on the weather since fleeing her home in the woods as a wildfire advanced in Southern California. She doesn’t know when she can return or whether her house was…
Wildfire burns with ferocity never seen by fire crews
August 17, 2016 by CHRISTOPHER WEBER and CHRISTINE ARMARIO - The ASSOCIATED PRESS (AP)SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (AP) — A wildfire with a ferocity never seen before by veteran California firefighters raced up and down canyon hillsides, instantly engulfing homes and forcing thousands of people to flee, some running for their lives just ahead…
Wildfire roars into California town, driving out thousands
August 15, 2016 The Associated PressLOWER LAKE, Calif. – A wildfire destroyed at least 10 homes and forced some 4,000 people to flee as flames jumped a road and moved into a Northern California town still recovering from a devastating wildfire nearly a year ago.…
Aerial firefighting firm training pilots on turbulence risks around wildfire after fatal crash: TSB
August 12, 2016 by Canadian UnderwriterA water bomber that crashed in Alberta was too low to recover from an incipient spin caused by severe turbulence formed from a “fire whirl,” the Transportation Safety Board of Canada suggested in an investigation report released Thursday. On May…
‘Extreme fire activity’ expected in Nova Scotia as wildfire grows
August 10, 2016 The Canadian PressHALIFAX – An out-of-control wildfire near Kejimkujik National Park has grown yet again, Nova Scotia’s Natural Resources department said Wednesday as crews grappled with challenging weather conditions. The department said the blaze in the Seven Mile Lake area had been…
Nova Scotia wildfires continue to create “challenging conditions” for work crews
August 9, 2016 by Canadian UnderwriterA wildfire in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis County has grown to about 240 hectares as weather continues to create “challenging conditions” for crews on site. The fire at Seven Mile Lake in Annapolis County, along with the Perch Lake fire in…
Southern California forest fire triples in size
August 8, 2016 The Associated PressCRESTLINE, Calif. – A wildfire in the San Bernardino National Forest east of Los Angeles has tripled in size to 7 square miles. The blaze in the San Bernardino Mountains east of Silverwood Lake and south of the high desert…
Economical Insurance cites wildfire’s impact, net income drops to $17.1 million in 2016 Q2
August 8, 2016 by Canadian UnderwriterCanada’s worst-ever insured natural disaster – the Fort McMurray wildfire – delivered a hard hit to the underwriting activity of Economical Insurance, contributing to a net income in the second quarter of 2016 of about half the prior-year quarter. Economical…
Echelon Financial Holdings Inc. sees lower net income in 2016 Q2, will focus on Canadian operations
August 5, 2016 by Canadian UnderwriterEchelon Financial Holdings Inc. (EFH) is exiting the European market to focus on growing its Canadian operations, which were negatively affected by the Fort McMurray wildfires that contributed to lower net income for both 2016 H1 and Q2 compared to…
Hannover Re sees dip in net income, lower gross written premiums for 2016 H1 compared to 2015 H1
August 4, 2016 by Canadian UnderwriterHannover Re saw net income fall 8.6% to 486.1 million euros for the first half of 2016 from 531.9 million euros in the prior-year half, but remains confident the company is on track to achieve its full-year target of at…