NorCal Wildfires: 10,000 Insurance Claims Top $845M

REDDING, Calif. (CBSLA/AP) -- California's insurance commissioner says victims of the state's two largest wildfires this year have filed more than 10,000 claims so far totaling $845 million.

Commissioner David Jones said Thursday that the two Northern California fires destroyed or damaged a combined 8,800 homes and 329 businesses.

The fires also damaged 800 vehicles and caused other property damage.

A spark from a flat tire started a fire near Redding that killed eight people. The Mendocino Complex Fire destroyed property in three counties.

Jones previously said insurers received 45,000 claims totaling more than $11.8 billion for damage from wildfires in 2017.

The new data shows how climate change is a contributor to fire losses in California, Jones said.

(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)