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iStock/ Prathaan
20 September 2018Insurance

Largest ever wildfire in California officially contained

The  Mendocino Complex Fire, the largest wildfire in California's history, is now 100 percent contained, according to an official statement by California’s insurance commissioner Dave Jones.

The blaze that started at the beginning of August 2018 burned a combined 459,123 acres, destroyed 280 structures including 157 residences, killed one firefighter and injured four others. Earlier in September, Jones reported that the fires have resulted in over $56 million in insured losses. Together, California’s Carr and Mendocino complex fires’ claims top $845 million.

The Carr fire was ignited outside Redding, California on July 23, 2018 before later entering the western edge of the city, fuelled by temperatures topping 100°F (37.8°C), shifting winds, and extremely dry conditions in place and damaged or destroyed no fewer than 1,159 structures.

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More on this story

Insurance
7 September 2018   California’s Carr and Mendocino complex fires’ claims top $845 million and are now counted among the most destructive wildfires in the state's history, according to California’s Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones.
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28 October 2019   As three California wildfires continue to ravage California, destroying more than 7,000 structures and displacing hundreds of thousands of people, more insurers are refusing cover, according to local press reports.