The Hawk Fire leveled Rick Arrate’s home on Peavine Peak on August 22. Insurance companies never offered him coverage due to wildfire risk.
Insurance companies are dropping customers in northern Nevada due to wildfire risk.
Some homeowners in the Hawk Fire burn area, like Rick Arrate, have been forced to rebuild their homes with only community assistance and hope.
“I had looked at a mountain lion for as close as you and me in the eyes while it was still alive, hooked to a chain. I’ve been this close to a bear,” he says. “I was content.”
Arrate is a thrill seeker, living near the summit of Peavine Peak. Not only is this his home, but it's also his hunting grounds. He'd chase animals through the mountains with his dogs.
But his way of life was upended the night of August 22.
“At first, I was kind of numb,” says Arrate, recounting his emotions after the fire. “I didn't have any feelings. And then I got a little depressed."
The Hawk Fire ripped down the mountain that night and leveled his home and the surrounding landscape.
Now he's rebuilding with the support of the community, and without insurance.
“They don't like that there's no fire stations around here,” Arrate says. “There are no fire hydrants around here."
We previously spoke to Arrate shortly after the Hawk Fire broke out. That's when we first learned about his insurance struggles. With ongoing insurance problems in town, he's not optimistic that'll change any time soon.
“People in town are having problems with insurance, you know?” he says. “What do you think the chances are of them insuring me now? It’s just like over there in Hidden Valley. What do you think flood insurance costs now?”
State regulators at the Nevada Division of Insurance tell us there's no law or guidance requiring insurance companies to write policies in fire risk areas. But you can make your property more attractive for insurers by adding defensible space, replacing wood fences where you can, and installing fire-resistant roofing.
If you’ve exhausted all those options, you may have to look at a different market.
“We have the admitted market, which is what we regulate through the Division of Insurance. Then there is what's called the surplus lines market,” says Commissioner Ned Gaines of the Nevada Division of Insurance.
Surplus lines cover risks, such as wildfire danger, that standard insurers typically deny. These providers serve as another option for homeowners to move forward.
You can find a list of surplus line brokers on the Nevada Surplus Lines Association’s website.
As for Arrate, the road to rebuilding is thankfully running smoothly.
“These kids tell me about this 'manifesting,’” he says. “I'm picking up on it, and I'm going to manifest me a house up here just because I say I am and just because I will it into existence."
Arrate says additional assistance is welcome. You can support him through the GoFundMe set up by his family.
