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Wildfire exposure expands nationwide as heat and drought intensify, Triple-I finds
Triple-I said more than 35,000 fires burned over three million acres in the first half of 2026, well above 10-year averages for the same period.
Wildfire risk in the United States is increasingly spreading beyond the West, driven by extreme heat, drought conditions and continued population growth in wildfire-prone areas, the Insurance Information Institute, or Triple-I, said in a new Issues Brief.
According to Insurance Business, the group found that the first half of 2026 saw more than 35,000 fires burn across more than three million acres nationwide, exceeding the 10-year average for the same period. The brief cited record-setting wildfire activity in states including Florida, Georgia and Nebraska, while Western states continued to face persistent threats tied to heat, drought and reduced snowpack from the 2025-26 winter season.
Triple-I warned that brokers and insurers in states that have not historically priced wildfire into underwriting should revisit existing client books to ensure wildfire risk has been assessed. The brief also pointed to research showing 42% of Western US land impacted by wildland fires between 2001 and 2024 burned during or immediately after a heat wave, and said the number of heat-wave days across Western forests has nearly doubled since 2001.
The findings come as California’s insurance market continues to adjust after years of severe wildfire losses, a preview of pressures other states may face as fire risk becomes more widespread, Insurance Business noted. Triple-I’s CEO Sean Kevelighan said the risk is increasingly national and said resilience and mitigation are more important than ever as weather conditions become more extreme.