Most B.C. home insurance does cover wildfire, smoke damage, says expert

With Canada experiencing its worst wildfire season in history, one industry expert says now is the time you should review your insurance policy.

Rob de Pruis, national director of consumer and industry relations with the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC), says most home policies do cover you for fires or smoke damage.

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“A standard home policy covers a whole bunch of different things, including wildfire, hail, wind, and a variety of other events,” he said. “In B.C. in particular, there is also a chance for overland flood or earthquake, but these two covers are optional.”

He says policies usually include coverage for mass evacuations, which provides additional living expenses for hotels and food while being evacuated. IBC says anyone who’s forced to escape wildfires should make a list of damaged or destroyed items and keep all of the receipts for expenses they’ve incurred to claim them later.

De Pruis said the best time to get this insurance is before an event.

“During an event, companies commonly initiate some temporary restrictions on the sale of new insurance in those areas under imminent threat, so, if you are currently evacuated, you might not be able to get insurance coverage right now,” he said.

He said, however, these limitations are temporary, so as the wildfire threat decreases, the restrictions will lift.

IBC says right now, it’s too early to provide estimates of insured damages from the fires as they are ongoing.