Insurance at peril for many in California's risky fire areas

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — As California’s wildfire season looms, threatening once again to break records for destruction, tens of thousands of rural homeowners risk facing the flames without enough insurance to rebuild if their homes burn.

Insurers have been taking a hard look at the millions of Californians who live in areas with a very high risk of wildfires, especially in recent years when costly fires incinerated thousands of rural homes.

The Sacramento Bee says from 2015 through 2019, insurers dropped property coverage for more than 143,000 customers in 13 counties.

A state moratorium bars insurance companies from cancelling policies for homes near or in areas that burned in 2020 wildfires. However, that moratorium expires in November.