The Los Angeles fires have cast uncertainty over when the insurance crisis buffeting the entire state will ease, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara told the Chronicle during an interview Saturday in Santa Monica,

A recent rule change could cause a spike in insurance premium for homeowners across California, as the costs of the Los Angeles area wildfires are passed onto them in a way that was not allowed in the past.

Natural disasters, such as wildfires and coastal flooding, raise questions about what insurance will cover (and what it won’t).

"The FAIR Plan, a not-for-profit catastrophe insurer, has the payment mechanisms in place to ensure all covered claims will be paid."

California's Fair Plan, the state's insurer of last resort, may be unable to pay billions in claims arising from the Los Angeles fires and may require a bailout that could ultimately be paid by homeowners statewide.