Willis and the University of East Anglia are collaborating on a project aimed at deepening the insurance industry’s understanding of global wildfire risk.

Wildfires have intensified in recent years, becoming larger, more destructive and increasingly unpredictable. Shifting climate conditions are expanding fire-prone areas beyond traditional hotspots and triggering more intense and destructive fires, while urban growth and rising property values are amplifying the potential for catastrophic loss.

From insured losses amounting to £1.15bn during Australia’s Black Summer bushfires in 2019-20 to the £30.6bn in damage caused by this year’s Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles, wildfires should no longer be considered a secondary peril, the broker warns.

With wildfires now rivalling the losses caused by other perils such as hurricanes, this partnership aims to deliver credible scientific insight to help insurers and reinsurers keep pace.

This collaboration between industry and academia will examine changes in fire frequency, intensity and geography, and will explore the growing threat of urban conflagrations – ultimately to support insurers in anticipating wildfire-related losses and responding with more informed risk strategies.

Dr Matthew Jones co-leads the State of Wildfires Report, an annual project developed with the support of an international network of fire scientists from 60 institutions across six continents. Together they examine the causes of extreme wildfire events of the latest fire season, evaluate future wildfire risks under climate change, and identify opportunities to minimise risk through climate action and land management practices.

"The insurance industry can no longer treat wildfire as a niche peril confined to a few known hotspots," said Dr Daniel Bannister, weather and climate risks research lead at the Willis Research Network. "We are seeing more frequent, fast-moving fires capable of devastating urban areas and overwhelming response systems. As insurers grapple with the mounting human and economic toll, robust and accessible insights from cutting-edge research are needed more than ever before. By partnering with UEA, we aim to distil the latest research into meaningful insights that help our clients understand and manage wildfire risk, today and into the future."

Emphasising the need for research to keep pace with the emerging threat, Dr Matthew Jones said he hoped the initiative would help develop better prediction and warning systems, and guide forest management and fire prevention strategies.

“UEA’s partnership with Willis represents a bridge between science and society and that will ensure that our research delivers real-world benefits that make communities more prepared for, and resilient to, wildfires,” he added.

---