For the last three wildfire seasons (2018, 2019, and 2020), Californians have seen extremely high wildfire activity.

Now that you know defensible space around your home can minimize the potential for wildfire damage, it’s time to tackle one important part of defensible space: brush removal.

If you live in California, chances are good that you’ve heard the term “defensible space” in the last few years.

“We don’t even call it a season anymore. There’s no such thing as a fire season,” Scott McLean, Cal Fire's Deputy Chief of Communications, said in an interview with Yahoo News. “Right now, we’re looking at a fire year. We’re having fires every month of the year.”

In recent years, the California insurance market has changed drastically in response to the state’s severe wildfires. And climate change is only making the problem worse.

California wildfire season is the hottest and driest part of the year: May through October. Though climate change has altered wildfire season as we know it, homeowners should be extra vigilant during warmer months. Wildfires are only getting more frequent and severe.

As if the pandemic, hurricanes, and wildfires weren’t enough, 2020 seems to have yet another horror up its sleeve: the fire tornado.

Given last fall’s wildfire season in California and the current disastrous fires sweeping through Australia, we figured it was a good time to offer some insight on how wildfires affect homeowners insurance.

You don’t have to live in California to find yourself in the path of a wildfire. These disasters can and do spread across most western states.