California Wildfires
Date published: 13/01/2025
As of 7th January 2025, several wildfires have been widely reported in the Los Angeles area of California in the USA driven by the Santa Ana winds.
The media are reporting 16 deaths and note it has forced thousands of residents to evacuate their homes. Extensive damage to housing and infrastructure has also been reported in the affected areas with residents being instructed to boil water for safe drinking.
At the time of issuing this alert, there are no reports of travel being significantly impacted and LAX airport reports they are operating normally.
If you’re travelling, or are about to travel
If you have been directly affected by this event and need medical assistance, please call our 24-hour emergency assistance team immediately on +61 2 9333 3999. We further urge you to pay close attention to the local media and emergency services, including the DFAT Smart Traveller website.
Policies Purchased prior to 13th January 2025 10.00am AEDT, Customers may be covered for claims arising from this event.
Policies Purchased After 10:00am (AEDT) on 13th January 2025: Customers are not covered for claims arising from this event. However, we will assess each situation on a case-by-case basis.
You can make a claim at any time once your policy has commenced and we will assess it as per the PDS’s terms and conditions. Please read carefully the full terms and conditions of any travel insurance policy before purchasing.
If your travel plans are affected
If you need to change your travel arrangements, contact your airline, cruise company or travel agent for assistance in the first instance. Please retain all supporting documentation evidencing expenses incurred. Please remember as a term of your policy you must do everything you can to minimise losses.
If you need to submit a claim, please complete a claim on our claims portal and if you need help doing this, contact us.
If you have any other queries, please get in touch.