Claims are coming in for B.C. wildfires

Initial claims are filtering in from the wildfires in British Columbia, says Christine Segaric, ClaimsPro’s director of CAT response.

The main focus on Vancouver Island has been the Wesley Ridge wildfire that’s currently sitting at 588 hectares and looks to be holding, she says.

“There were just under 400 properties evacuated but thanks to the quick response of the wildfire crews, significant property damage was avoided,” she says. 

“We’ve been supporting our clients with evacuation claims, and now that some of the orders have been lifted and residents are returning home, our local adjusting team is now also handling a mix of fridge, freezer and food spoilage claims along with some smoke damage.”

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For properties closest to the fire, Segaric says they’re expecting fire retardant claims as soon as homeowners are able to return home.

“So far, the claim volume has been manageable by our local team but our broader national Cat team is on standby should we need to deploy additional resources,” she adds.

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B.C.’s fires are one component of a highly active nationwide wildfire season that may be on track to break records set in 2023. Back in June, ratings agency Morningstar DBRS issued a report noting the season up to that point had seen more than 1,800 wildfires, with over 2.8 million hectares burned and more than 32,000 evacuations across the country.

It predicted “the 2025 wildfire season is likely to become one of the most destructive on record, already outpacing both the comparable period in 2024 and the 10-year average.”

Nationally, figures as of Aug. 14 from the Interagency Forest Fire Centre says there are 4,442 fires burned or burning year to date, and 713 active fires.

And fire maps updated regularly by B.C. Wildfire Service show one ‘wildfire of note’ on Vancouver Island and two additional fires classified as ‘being held.’ A third fire is listed as ‘under control.’ Moving east toward Alberta, the B.C. map shows numerous other active fires, a few of which are classified as out of control.

Elsewhere on Vancouver Island, Segaric says her team is keeping “a close watch” on a nearby second fire around Mount Underwood and China Creek. She notes that fire is about 630 hectares and remains out of control.

“It is in a relatively remote area, so while there are evacuation orders in place, the affected population is limited,” she tells CU.  

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Phil Porado

Phil, an award-winning journalist with over 30 years of experience in financial topics, has been managing editor of Canadian Underwriter for more than three years.