{"id":320911,"date":"2025-11-07T15:18:55","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T20:18:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/?p=137946"},"modified":"2025-11-07T15:18:55","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T20:18:55","slug":"wildfire-season-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/insurance\/homeowners\/wildfire-season-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Wildfire Season: What Homeowners Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n

Every year, wildfires in the U.S.<\/a> displace families and strain insurance and emergency systems. Recent seasons illustrate the volatility: the U.S. recorded about 2.6 million acres burned in 2023, the lowest since 1998, and 2024 remained below the long\u2011term average nationally even as the Texas Panhandle\u2019s Smokehouse Creek Fire grew to roughly 1,058,482 acres \u2014 the largest in Texas history \u2014 and the Southern Plains wildfires were counted by NOAA<\/a> as a billion\u2011dollar disaster. Globally, natural catastrophe losses in 2024 were around USD 250 billion with about USD 100 billion insured, leaving an estimated 60% protection gap, according to Munich Re<\/a>. Climate change is amplifying extreme fire weather, lengthening seasons, and expanding smoke impacts, especially in forested regions, per the IPCC<\/a> and U.S. National Climate Assessment<\/a>. California often dominates headlines, but significant risk spans the West, Southern Plains, and growing wildland\u2013urban interface communities across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Top States with High to Extreme Wildfire Risk<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n \n
\n
\n \n
\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n
\n
State<\/strong><\/center>\n <\/td>\n
\n
Estimated Properties at Risk<\/strong><\/center>\n <\/td>\n
\n
State<\/strong><\/center>\n <\/td>\n
\n
Percentage of Properties at Risk<\/strong><\/center>\n <\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
\n
California<\/center>\n <\/td>\n
\n
Millions in the WUI; repeated catastrophic losses (see NIFC trends<\/a> & NOAA events<\/a>)<\/center>\n <\/td>\n
\n
Texas<\/center>\n <\/td>\n
\n
High exposure in Panhandle and plains; 2024 largest fire in state history (TX A&M Forest Service<\/a>)<\/center>\n <\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
\n
Colorado<\/center>\n <\/td>\n
\n
Substantial WUI growth along Front Range; emphasize home hardening (IBHS WPH<\/a>)<\/center>\n <\/td>\n
\n
Oklahoma<\/center>\n <\/td>\n
\n
Southern Plains wildfire impacts recognized by NOAA<\/a> in 2024<\/center>\n <\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
\n
Arizona<\/center>\n <\/td>\n
\n
Concentration of WUI communities; long seasons and extreme fire weather days increasing (IPCC<\/a>)<\/center>\n <\/td>\n
\n
Montana<\/center>\n <\/td>\n
\n
Large rural WUI share; prioritize defensible space and Zone 0 (2024 IWUIC<\/a>)<\/center>\n <\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
\n
Idaho<\/center>\n <\/td>\n
\n
Forest\u2011dominated exposure; smoke and ember risks to structures (NIST<\/a>)<\/center>\n <\/td>\n
\n
New Mexico<\/center>\n <\/td>\n
\n
Post\u2011fire flood\/debris flow risks elevated; consider separate flood coverage (FEMA<\/a>)<\/center>\n <\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
\n
Oregon<\/center>\n <\/td>\n
\n
Frequent evacuations; statewide alerting via OR\u2011Alert<\/a> supports rapid warnings<\/center>\n <\/td>\n
\n
California<\/center>\n <\/td>\n
\n
Mitigation discounts via Safer from Wildfires; high share of housing in fire\u2011prone areas (CA DOI<\/a>)<\/center>\n <\/td>\n <\/tr>\n <\/tbody>\n <\/table>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Prepare – What to do before a wildfire<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Wildfires can evolve rapidly under extreme fire weather. Prepare early, account for multiple alerting channels, and plan for power and telecom disruptions. Climate trends point to longer seasons and more extreme fire weather days in many regions, so readiness is increasingly a year\u2011round effort (IPCC<\/a>; NCA<\/a>).<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n


<\/p>\n

Prepare Your Family<\/h3>\n

<\/p>\n


<\/p>\n

Stay alert<\/h4>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Enroll in local alerts and enable national systems. Sign up for your community\u2019s texts\/emails (some communities use platforms like Nixle<\/a>), and keep Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) turned on in phone settings. WEA uses FEMA\u2019s IPAWS<\/a> to deliver authenticated, geo\u2011targeted messages to cell phones with improved precision and longer messages, per the FCC<\/a>. Add redundancy: a battery or hand\u2011crank NOAA Weather Radio<\/a> works when cell networks or power are down, and some states provide unified alert platforms (e.g., Oregon\u2019s OR\u2011Alert<\/a>) that integrate WEA with local notifications. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n


<\/p>\n

Create an emergency plan<\/h4>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n