All standard homeowner and tenant insurance policies cover damage caused by wildfires, as well as provide coverage for the cost of mass evacuations, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC). Aaron Sutherland, IBC’s vice-president for the Western and Pacific region, advised those affected to contact their insurance representative to begin the claims process. Devastating wildfires in the Northwest Territories and the B.C. interior have resulted in thousands of people being evacuated from their homes. A provincial state of emergency has been declared in B.C., with approximately 30,000 people under evacuation order. While it is too early to estimate insured damages from the fires, IBC recommends those forced to flee to document all damaged or destroyed items and keep receipts for expenses incurred. It is important to provide as many details as possible when making a claim. When reporting a loss to their insurance company, individuals will be assigned a claims adjuster to investigate their losses and assist with the claims process. Short-term delays may occur due to the high volume of calls, but insurance companies will deploy additional resources to manage the workload. While it is best to start a claim as soon as possible, personal claims can typically be reported within two years of discovering the damage or loss. Prior to the current wildfires, Canada was already experiencing a record-setting year for wildfires, with more than one in four Canadians reporting being affected by fires in the spring. The ongoing fire season has stretched Canada’s firefighting capacity, with international firefighters being called in for assistance. There are currently over 1,000 active fires across the country, resulting in more than 14 million hectares being burned so far this year.
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