Officials say seven people remain hospitalized a week after they were injured in mudslides that devastated the coastal California town of Montecito, killing 20. Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital says that as of Monday evening, two of the seven still undergoing treatment were in critical condition.

Aon Benfield’s Impact Forecasting unit released a report predicting that the California mudslide brought on by heavy rains following massive wildfires in the region will generate widespread losses. Overall, the report predicts an economic loss above $100 million. That said, the insured losses will be within the tens of millions.

Weeks after devastating fires tore through Southern California, heavy rains sent mudslides rolling down hillsides in Santa Barbara County on Tuesday, leaving 13 people dead. The storm uprooted trees and homes, and left mangled cars and abandoned surfboards on the streets.

Debra Salem-Drake was packing to evacuate as a wildfire moved within a half-mile of her Ventura home when she got a surprising call. Her insurance company was offering to come spray her home with fire-blocking gel...for free.

Thousands of Southern Californians fled their homes on Monday as a powerful rain storm that could cause flash floods and trigger mudslides soaked steep slopes where a series of intense wildfires burned off vegetation last month.

State Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones on Thursday called on the state Legislature to change California law to prevent more homeowners from losing their coverage because of wildfire risk, an issue that has been exacerbated by last year’s North Bay fires.

Insurers will have to pay claims of around $135 billion for 2017, the most ever, following a spate of hurricanes, earthquakes and fires in North America, according to a report published on Thursday.

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake shook up the San Francisco Bay Area early Thursday.It was felt throughout the region, and could be felt for perhaps five to 10 seconds. Near the San Francisco International Airport, several jolts could be felt.

This year will go down as one of the worst in California wildfire history, the latest state fire statistics show. As of Dec. 11:
Large wildfires had destroyed or damaged more than 10,000 structures in California this year, a higher tally than the last nine years combined.

State Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones on Thursday urged insurance companies to provide North Bay fire victims up to 100 percent of their personal property coverage limits without requiring them to fill out a detailed inventory.

The monster of a wildfire burning in Southern California is now the second-largest blaze in the history of the state — since accurate records were kept starting in 1932. Officials estimate that the Thomas Fire will grow to become the biggest in California history before full containment, expected by Jan. 7.

The wine country wildfires have claimed another victim. This one, a clean-up worker. Truck driver Ezekiel Jackson Sumner Jr. was killed over the weekend, when he was hit by his own truck.

A San Diego federal jury this week convicted a Beverly Hills radiologist for his role in a massive fraud scheme that involved kickbacks for patient referrals so he could bill insurance companies more than $25 million in unnecessary medical services.

By Sunday morning, a multimillion-dollar house on the top of Park Hill Lane in Montecito was still smoldering and on fire.
All that stood were cement blocks that outlined the frame of the house — once yellow, it had been turned black by the fire.

California homeowners and regulators have a new fear about wildfires ravaging the state: that insurers will drop coverage. Massive, out-of-season fires in northern and southern California are causing billions of dollars in claims and challenging expectations of when and where to expect blazes.