Line of Sight Rule

If there is anything on your property that is partially damaged, the Line of Sight rule will come into play during the insurance claim process. “Line of sight” or “clear line of sight” is a standard applicable to most property losses. The standard is used in conjunction with “a reasonably uniform surface”.California insurance code Section 2695.9(a)(2) states:
When a loss requires replacement of items and the replaced items do
not match in quality, color or size, the insurer...Read More

Investigation: Forest Service declined help that could have saved homes during 2009 blaze, firefight

PASADENA (AP) — A wildfire that killed two firefighters and burned 89 homes in Los Angeles County, including some in Acton, might have been doused sooner if officials had not delayed aircraft from dropping fire retardant and water, a congressional panel was told Tuesday.

William Derr, a retired Forest Service firefighter, testified that the crew of an air tanker leaving the scene of another fire offered to make a retardant drop on the Station Fire on the August morning it began to explode.

However, the crew was told it was not needed, Derr said.

Read More:
http://www.the-signal.com/section/36/article/34957/

---

Chances to give to fire victims

Tony and Marcela Folletts’ home in the Mulberry Mobile Home Park was destroyed Nov. 27 by a fire possibly started by arsonists.

The family was in Carson City, Nev., visiting family during Thanksgiving weekend when the fire erupted. They are now living with family in Saugus.

Read More:
http://www.the-signal.com/section/36/article/37431/

---

Corral Canyon still recovering, rebuilding

Three years have passed since the early morning firestorm on Nov. 24, 2007 raged through four canyons in Malibu. Within hours the fire had been mostly contained, but not until after it had destroyed 53 homes.

Today, a drive through these canyons-Corral, Escondido, Latigo, and Solstice-reveals that although it took only a few hours for these homes to be destroyed, it has taken the homeowners much longer to rebuild, if at all.

Read More:
http://malibutimes.com/articles/2010/12/02/news/news2.txt

---

California mandates fire sprinklers, enforcement

Increased state fire sprinkler regulations planned for the new year are spurring concerns from some fire officials, who say added new construction costs, enforcement and freezing pipes are big issues to resolve.

The Truckee Fire Protection District Board of Directors, which recently adopted a resolution to align the district with the state's soon-to-be-enacted law, said benefits include more fire protection coverage and the need for less manpower during fires. However, a major concern is new construction costs to current homes, as they could spike building costs.

The law will require all new homes built in California, regardless of elevation, must have fire sprinklers installed.

Read More:
http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/article/20101114/NEWS/101119859

---

ESPERANZA FIRE: New trial for arsonist's brother-in-law

A judge today ordered a new trial for Raymond Lee Oyler's brother-in-law, who was convicted earlier this year of tampering with the jury that convicted Oyler of arson and murder stemming from the October 2006 Esperanza Fire that killed five firefighters.

Superiour Court Judge Larrie R. Brainard ordered the new trial for Christopher Vaughan Hillman of Hesperia after a morning hearing.

Read More:
http://blogs.pe.com/news/digest/2010/12/esperanza-fire-new-trial-for-o.html

---

Homeowners Cite Allstate Grievances

Responding to a call in last week's issue of The Mountain News, eight mountain property owners have sent e-mails to the newspaper, citing problems they have encountered getting their Allstate homeowner's policies renewed.

The messages-six from Lake Arrowhead, one from Blue Jay and one from Crestline-refer to demands by the insurer that the policyholders remove vegetation, including trees and ground cover, around their homes before Allstate will renew their policies.

Read More:
http://crestlinecourier-news.com/articles/2010/12/03/news/news5.txt

---

SDG&E might get $29 million for fire insurance

San Diego Gas & Electric may be given permission to charge its customers to $29 million to pay for higher insurance costs it faced following the 2007 wildfires. Or not.

Competing proposals released by the California Public Utilities Commission would alternatively give SDG&E want it wants or reject its request for more money.

Read More:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/nov/17/sdge-might-get-29-million-for-fire-insurance/

---

Neighborhood survives Katrina — not urban renewal

NEW ORLEANS – The Outer Banks Bar had stood as a street-level recovery center after Hurricane Katrina, an unofficial hub for an inner-city neighborhood that had been left for dead even before the floodwaters came.

No longer do the bar's patrons stare out at the working-class surroundings they helped revive and rebuild, all of it bulldozed away. Sunshine streams through the grimy windows, past the faint outline of the bar's former name, "Cajun Inn," with all of the buildings that had once given shade now flattened for a massive redevelopment project: a $2 billion hospital district spanning 25 city blocks.

Read More:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101206/ap_on_re_us/us_katrina_razing_a_neighborhood

---