Shop Insurance Canada Highlights ICLR Report: Why Some Fort McMurray Properties Survived

October 01, 2016 (PRLEAP.COM) Business News
October 1, 2016 - The May wildfire in Fort McMurray, Alberta was the costliest insurance loss in Canadian history, costing $4.5 million. As well as the initial cost on the industry, consumers are expected to take the brunt of the cost with increasing home insurance premiums. Shop Insurance Canada points out an ICLR report that explains why some homes survived and others were destroyed.

Despite this, the wildfire was a highlight for how important it is for homeowners to have their properties insured. Nearly 3000 properties were lost and insurance against loss was the only saving grace for many homeowners.

However, many properties escaped intact, even if they were amidst the raging heat of the fire. Some homes remained standing when others around them were decimated. The obvious question is, why?

Simply put, those homes were more resistant to ignition from embers, according to a preliminary report from the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR). The report shows that homes surviving in such natural disaster events is not about luck, but more about construction choices and location.

"Whether a home is destroyed by an interface wildfire or not greatly depends on conditions immediately around the structure, the area for which homeowners are responsible," says ICLR. Direct contact from flames was not a main cause for many home losses, instead "wind-driven embers were the most probable cause for the majority of early home ignitions in the areas where the fire made its transition from forest into urban neighborhoods," notes the ICLR statement.

"Once established, the fire would have spread from structure to structure as an urban conflagration, accounting for the majority of home losses," the report adds.
The Toronto non-profit continues: "communities are lost when embers ignite fuel immediately surrounding or on structures. Once a few structures ignite, then building-to-building spread leads to an urban conflagration, as we experienced in Fort McMurray," says Glenn McGillivray, managing director of ICLR.

Shop Insurance Canada adds that this shows that developers need to reassess how they build properties in areas at risk of fire, flood, and other climate events. The insurance expert says home insurance premiums will rise because of Fort McMurray and homeowner may show more scrutiny when purchasing properties.

"If developers keep building in high risk areas and properties continue to be damaged, homeowners face an increase in their premiums. Consumers may become wise to poor construction location and build materials."

What Do You Want To Know About Insurance?
Shop Insurance Canada works hard to bring all the latest insurance news to customers. We believe that understanding the industry starts with knowing what is happening day to day. Our customers and readers are hugely important to us, and we want them to get the best deals by being involved in the industry. If you have any interesting insurance topics or stories, let us know and we will be happy to look into it and write it up.

Perhaps you have a funny story about your premium evaluations, or maybe a genuine worry about the state of insurance in Canada. Shop Insurance Canada wants your voice and story to be heard, so get in touch with us via our official contact page.

About Shop Insurance Canada
Shop Insurance Canada is a Toronto based company that specializes in delivering the best auto insurance products to customers around Ontario and Canada. The online insurance quoting tool uses an engine that is easy to use and accurate enough to deliver the best auto insurance quotes from over 25 of Canada's leading providers. Shop Insurance Canada also offers expert advice on the auto insurance industry, as well as guides and news to help customers find the best deal possible.

Shop Insurance Canada
1003-60 Bathrust St.
Toronto, Ontario
M5V 2P4
Canada
416-913-0151

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