Wildfires, storms fuel 2025 insured losses of $108 billion, Munich Re says

January 13, 2026 2:47 PM

Wildfires, storms fuel 2025 insured losses of $108 billion, Munich Re says

Global insured losses from natural disasters fell to $108 billion last year, Munich Re said in a report on Tuesday. That compared with an inflation-adjusted $147 billion in 2024, the German reinsurer said, as the U.S. mainland avoided hurricanes for the first time in 10 years. Munich Re's total estimate for last year sightly exceeds Swiss Re's of $107 billion, which it published in December. Damage from floods, wildfires and severe storms was the main contributor to insured losses, accounting...

Heatwaves, droughts and wildfires costing Europe billions each year

July 15, 2025 9:44 AM

Heatwaves, droughts and wildfires costing Europe billions each year

Extreme heat and worsening drought situations are gripping large parts of Europe, sparking wildfires, triggering red alerts and intensifying global calls for effective climate actions. Driven by climate change, scientists warn, these conditions signal a new era of drought, threatening food security, energy security, ecosystems and economies. The worrying part is that heatwaves and wildfires are constantly growing deadlier and costlier. If the European Environment Agency (EEA) is to be believed,...

South Korea wildfires spread forcing evacuation of four local prisons, homes

March 25, 2025 9:14 PM

South Korea wildfires spread forcing evacuation of four local prisons, homes

Wildfires spread across South Korea's southeastern region on Tuesday, forcing the evacuation of thousands of inmates from local prisons and causing residents to flee their homes. Acting President Han Duck-soo vowed to deploy firefighting helicopters and ground personnel to battle the fires. The city of Andong, with a population of 150,000 people, issued an alert to its residents to evacuate to safe areas, according to a city official and a public text alert. The city is home to the 14th- to 15...

An aerial view of fire trucks, utility, and other vehicles parked along Pacific Coast Highway near homes destroyed in the Palisades Fire as wildfires cause damage and loss through the LA region on January 13, 2025 in Pacific Palisades, California. Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images

January 14, 2025 10:05 AM

Fire-ravaged Los Angeles in path of dangerous winds

Los Angeles firefighters braced for high winds overnight into Tuesday, gusts that could fuel two monstrous wildfires that have already leveled entire neighborhoods, killed at least two dozen people, and burned an area the size of Washington, D.C. Dry, dangerous Santa Ana wind gusts reached 30 to 50 mph (48 to 80 kph) later on Monday, but the red flag warning was not due to start until 10 p.m. PST (0600 GMT) with the peak winds that could hit 75 mph (120 kph) starting around 4 a.m. Tuesday (120...

California wildfires claim 16 lives; Donald Trump calls it “one of the worst catastrophes” in US history

January 12, 2025 2:55 PM

California wildfires claim 16 lives; Donald Trump calls it “one of the worst catastrophes” in US history

US President-elect Donald Trump has voiced his frustration as the southern California wildfires continue to rage. Describing the disaster as "one of the worst catastrophes" in the country's history, he criticized the authorities for their inability to extinguish the fires. In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated that the fires in Los Angeles are still raging and lamented the lack of effective action. He expressed concern over the destruction of thousands of homes and the loss of lives, calling ...

Los Angeles wildfires devour thousands of homes, death toll rises to 10

January 10, 2025 1:39 PM

Los Angeles wildfires devour thousands of homes, death toll rises to 10

Wildfires menacing Los Angeles have killed at least 10 people and devoured nearly 10,000 structures, with five fires burning into a third night on Thursday as dry desert winds fanning the flames again gathered strength. The Palisades Fire between Santa Monica and Malibu on the city's western flank and the Eaton Fire in the east near Pasadena already rank as the most destructive in Los Angeles history, consuming more than 34,000 acres (13,750 hectares) - or some 53 square miles - turning entire...

Hollywood Hills burn as LA engulfed by ‘the big one’

January 9, 2025 4:34 PM

Hollywood Hills burn as LA engulfed by ‘the big one’

The Hollywood Hills blazed uncontrollably on Thursday morning as the worst wildfires in the history of Los Angeles raged across the city and deep into the storied heartland of the American film industry. A crescent of flame squeezed Los Angeles in a huge pincer visible from space. More than 100,000 people were ordered to evacuate as dry, hurricane-force winds hindered firefighting operations and spread the flames. At least five people have been killed since the fires erupted on Tuesday. The h...

Global study links 1.5 million deaths every year to air pollution from wildfires

November 28, 2024 12:40 PM

Global study links 1.5 million deaths every year to air pollution from wildfires

An Australian-led international research has found that over 1.5 million deaths globally every year were linked to the health impacts of air pollution caused by landscape fires. According to the research published on Thursday by Monash University in Melbourne, 1.53 million deaths per year between 2000 and 2019 were attributable to wildfire-sourced air pollution, Xinhua news agency reported. The study found that over 90 per cent of all deaths attributable to landscape fire-sourced air pollution...

Extreme weather drives travelers to cooler destinations this summer

August 15, 2024 4:21 PM

Extreme weather drives travelers to cooler destinations this summer

Florida resident Kathy Pafunda is reading books and perusing maps to plan a Norway getaway next summer, following visits over the last two years to cool-weather destinations Alaska, Utah, Minnesota and Iceland. "We like to escape during the summer months, especially when going outside feels like taking an unpleasant bath," said the retired 69-year-old audiologist, who lives in Tampa. "Florida is hideous right now." Wildfires and heat waves this summer have pushed more travelers to take "coolca...