Wildfire, fire management and air quality news for western Montana and the Northern Rockies.

State auditor is investigating claims of wildfire insurance violations

Montana’s state auditor says some home insurance companies are failing to provide proper coverage for homeowners due to wildfires.

Montana State Auditor Troy Downing says there have been reports of insurance companies dropping homeowners’ insurance policies or declining to increase coverage in areas that aren’t considered at substantial wildfire risk. He says that violates state insurance code.

Downing says his office is investigating complaints from consumers that live within city limits of large cities such as Missoula and other areas he says aren’t at high risk for structure loss due to wildfires. He's encouraging homeowners to report similar instances to his office.

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Aaron graduated from the University of Minnesota School of Journalism in 2015 after interning at Minnesota Public Radio. He landed his first reporting gig in Wrangell, Alaska where he enjoyed the remote Alaskan lifestyle and eventually moved back to the road system as the KBBI News Director in Homer, Alaska. He joined the MTPR team in 2019. Aaron now reports on all things in northwest Montana and statewide health care.