California’s wildfire insurance crisis intensified this week as major insurers faced renewed scrutiny over denied or delayed payouts, while regulators and lawmakers moved to address mounting consumer complaints. The Los Angeles Times reported that insurers defending their claims‑handling practices are under pressure after fire survivors said they were required to produce extensive documentation — including itemized inventories and receipts — before receiving payments, even when their homes were completely destroyed. Lawmakers criticized the practice as burdensome and insensitive to victims who lost everything in the fires.  According to the Guardian, the industry’s retreat from high‑risk regions has accelerated, with non‑renewals and steep premium increases affecting thousands of homeowners across Southern California. Some residents reported annual premiums rising into the tens of thousands of dollars as insurers adopted increasingly aggressive wildfire‑risk scoring models.