A year ago, after writing about the devastation left behind by Los Angeles catastrophic wildfires in “Wildfire Devastation—What Next?”, I received a public comment on that post which stuck with me. The person did not identify themselves, but the tone was familiar. It was skeptical, frustrated, and searching for someone or something to blame. That reaction is understandable, and I have seen it many times following many different catastrophes. When lives are disrupted, homes and businesses are destroyed, and the future feels uncertain, people want answers. They want to know why this keeps happening and why recovery feels so slow.
This post is not about assigning blame for wildfires themselves. Fires result from a complex mix of climate conditions, land management decisions, infrastructure issues, and, sometimes, human error. Reasonable people can debate those causes. What deserves more attention and far less finger-pointing is what happens to people after the flames are out.
Because for many wildfire survivors, the real struggle begins after the smoke clears.
Most people assume that once a claim is reported, insurance money flows, rebuilding begins, and life slowly returns to normal. That assumption is rarely accurate. Wildfire claims are among the most complex property insurance claims there are. Entire communities are affected at once. Insurers are overwhelmed. Adjusters are stretched thin. Damage is not just structural but environmental, involving smoke infiltration, toxic ash, soil contamination, and long-term health concerns that are not always obvious in the early weeks.
On top of that, many policies were never designed with today’s mega-fires in mind. Coverage limits are usually inadequate. Replacement cost estimates are often wildly understated in post-disaster construction markets. Temporary living expenses become a battleground. Deadlines, proof of loss requirements, and technical policy provisions quietly loom in the background while families and business owners are simply trying to get through the day.
This is where frustration turns into skepticism.
People ask me, “Chip, why is this taking so long? Why am I being asked for the same information again and again? Why does it feel like I’m fighting my own insurance company?” Those questions are not signs of impatience or entitlement. They are signs that the insurance claims system is not working the way policyholders reasonably expected it to.
The uncomfortable truth is that many wildfire victims are underpaid, delayed, or denied, not because they did anything wrong, but because the claims process for many insurers becomes adversarial by design once the stakes are high enough. Large-loss claims invite scrutiny. Ambiguity is often resolved in the insurer’s favor unless challenged. And overwhelmed policyholders, dealing with trauma and displacement, are at a severe disadvantage navigating this alone.
That does not mean insurers are evil, nor does it mean every claim is mishandled. It does mean that blind trust is rarely rewarded in catastrophic loss situations.
Seeking legal help is not about blaming the insurance industry for wildfires. It is about leveling the playing field when the promises made in an insurance policy are not being fulfilled in practice. It is about making sure the claim is fully documented, deadlines are met, rights are preserved, and the scope of damage is not artificially minimized. In many cases, legal involvement does not escalate conflict, it brings clarity and resolution.
I have represented fire survivors for over four decades. The most heartbreaking cases are not the ones involving obvious disputes. They are the ones where people waited too long, assumed things would “work out,” and later discovered they had unknowingly given up benefits, changed circumstances to their detriment, missed critical deadlines, or accepted payments that fell far short of what was actually owed.
It is not a personal failure of a wildfire survivor who has not been fully paid, who feels stalled, confused, or worn down by the process. These are signals to get informed help. Education and advocacy are not acts of aggression. They are acts of self-protection.
Wildfires will continue to test communities, governments, and insurers. How quickly, how fairly, and how honestly we, and the insurance claims industry, respond to survivors will determine whether recovery is real or merely promised.
Thought For The Day
“The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.”
— Flannery O’Connor
