SPOKANE, Wash. – The Crown Creek Fire in Stevens County is currently threatening 125 structures. Just two years ago, Spokane also faced significant devastation from fires.
The 2023 Gray and Oregon Road fires destroyed 366 homes. According to the Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner, 244 out of 355 major dwelling claims following this devastation maxed out their coverage, indicating that many policies were insufficient to cover total losses.
In the heart of yet another fierce fire season across the Inland Northwest, September marks National Preparedness Month.
“Your home, whether you’re a renter or a homeowner, that’s your safe space,” said Nicole Ganley from the American Property Casualty Insurance Association. “And it’s most often your most expensive asset that you have, so it’s important to protect that.”
Ganley went on to emphasize that one of the most important ways to prepare for wildfire is financially.
Experts recommend three key coverages for fire season: building code upgrade, inflation guard and extended replacement. Building code upgrade covers fire-safe updates before a fire, inflation guard raises coverage amounts with rising costs and extended replacement covers rebuilding after a mass catastrophe, like Spokane saw in 2023.
“People haven’t always carried those because they want to save money, but that’s not really the place where you want to save money if you have a big loss,” said Janet Ruiz from the Insurance Information Institute. “If it’s a total loss, then you can end up not having enough to rebuild the house that you had.”
Still, for some homeowners, accessing coverage is not as simple as paying a premium.
In 2024, the Insurance Commissioner’s Office reported 37,000 thousand Washington households face potential policy cancellation or non-renewal every year. Insurance companies make this determination against many factors, including wildfire risk.
Those with questions about their insurance and preparedness can attend Washington’s State Insurance Commissioner’s town hall in Spokane on September 10.
“Insurance is really a safety net,” said Ganley. “Insurance, if you have it, it rebuilds your home, it rebuilds your community, it rebuilds businesses.”
