PLACER COUNTY — People across the state are finding it increasingly more difficult to insure their homes.

Placer County supervisors said those who live in areas at risk of wildfire are seeing insurance rates increase by thousands of dollars. Supervisors want the state to do more to stop private companies from charging these prices. Some Southern California residents have seen their insurance rates skyrocket as a result of wildfires. The latest round of fires is fueling concerns that rates may eventually be boosted again. Scores of Southern California residents living in or near the path of the latest wildfires have suffered damage to their homes.

Southern California has been hammered by a series of major wildfires in recent weeks. The Blue Cut Fire, which is still raging near the 15 Freeway in the Cajon Pass, has burned nearly 32, 000 acres and destroyed dozens of structures. That came on the heels of the recent Sand, Pilot and Sage fires.

The Sand fire near Santa Clarita chewed through more than 41, 000 acres, leaving one person dead and destroying 18 homes, and the Sage fire near Stevenson Ranch burned through 1, 100 acres without affecting any homes. The Pilot fire burned 8, 110 acres near where the Glowing blue Cut fire is burning up.

Two consecutive disastrous wildfire seasons have created a budding insurance crisis for a large number of Californians who are now living in and around fire-prone areas. Stung by $24 billion in losses, insurers are imposing rate hikes or dumping customer’s altogether, leaving behind homeowners to seek alternative policies that can be two or three times as expensive.

“It’s sticker surprise for folks to see their homeowners’ (premium) go from $1, 200 to $3, 600, ” said Rich Harris of Harris Insurance coverage Services, an independent company in Grass Valley.

Because California wildfires grow bigger and more intense, an increasing number of insurance coverage companies are not reviving policies for customers who are now living in areas they consider too risky to cover, “wrote Laura Newberry of the La Occasions. “The state estimates that more than one mil California homes are considered at high-risk for wildfires. “

California homeowner issues about being dropped from their plans increased threefold from 2010 to 2016, and complaints about high-quality hikes increased by 217%, reported Newberry, citing a California Department of Insurance coverage report.

California Insurance Office David Jones told the AP he expects more rate increases and more policies not to be restored, particularly in high-risk open fire areas.

Consequently, the research for a new or replacement policy may be a bit more grueling and costly than it used to be.

What is open fire insurance?

Fire insurance is a type of property insurance against fire reduction or damage. Typically, a standard homeowner’s insurance plan will include coverage in the event of a fireplace.

Because long as you’ve already been paying your premiums, the standard homeowner’s insurance plan covers fire harm to your home, structures on your property and nearly all of your belongings reported Darla Ramo of CNBC. The exclusion is specialty items, like art or jewelry, that may have to have a rider for coverage, she added.

However, you may have to pay more for additional coverage if you are now living in a high-risk area or if you’re unable to find coverage in the open upmarket.

What does a fire insurance cover?

Regardless of whether you have basic coverage with the California FAIR plan, or you have limitations on your homeowner’s policy, it’s important to know the extent of your coverage.

“If your whole house burned down, it used to be that you had guaranteed replacement, ” J. Robert Hunter, director of insurance at the Consumer Federation of America, told CNBC. “Insurers started to rethink this and apply an absolute limit on what they will pay. “

A “replacement cost” of your home covers the cost of a damaged home with a similar home, but some insurance companies can limit that at 20% over the face value of the policy, explained by Mercado.

This can be particularly problematic in a largely damaged area, which can result in an uptick in prices, Hunter said. He added that insurers may also not cover additional expenses of “bringing your damaged home up to new building codes.”

If you’re unhappy with your claim, you can always make a complaint to the insurer’s consumer relations department, state insurance department, or a lawyer, said Hunter. Just don’t forget to note your communication for evidence during a dispute.

Will they see their insurance rates go up as a result?

Insurers consider a variety of factors when considering a rate hike, such as whether a home has a sprinkler system and if the homeowner has cleared brush away from the house. Some places have what they call ‘fire-wise communities’ where the whole community works together to make sure the land is cleared. Insurance companies will look at things like that as well as the loss history of the area and what other precautions people may have taken to protect their homes.

The average deductible for fire insurance in California ranges from $1, 000 to $2, 000, although people with more expensive homes and those living in extremely high-risk areas pay around $5, 000.

INSURANCE COMPANIES ASSESS FIRE RISK

Insurance companies in California use a system called FireLine from Verisk Analytics to determine the potential risk to insured properties. The system evaluates the fire risk to a property based on three factors:

• Fuel — Grass, trees or dense brush can feed a wildfire.

• Slope — Steeper slopes can increase the speed and strength of a wildfire.

• Access — Limited entry and dead-end roads can impede firefighting equipment.

Summary

Risk is increasing in California, we can say that. And we recognize that insurance companies need to modify rates to account for that risk