For decades, the restoration industry has prepared for hurricane season knowing that one major event can put restorers into catastrophe (CAT) response mode. The CAT losses our industry responds to continues to evolve, and fire has become an important part of that conversation.

In 2025, we saw the undeniable impact of wildfires when the Palisades and Eaton fires devastated communities across Los Angeles. Those two fires alone made it impossible to ignore the scale of destruction a wildfire can leave behind. While the United States had record-breaking fires, for the first time in 10 years, not one hurricane made landfall. The Los Angeles wildfires became the costliest disaster of 2025.

Fire activity hasn't slowed down this year…

So far, we’ve seen major fires across the country, including the Kaiser Canyon and Lyons Ferry fires in Washington, the Aspen Acres, Ferris, Gold Mountain, and Willow fires in Colorado, and the Babylon, Cottonwood, and Stookey fires in Utah. Over the summer, Nevada’s Hawk Fire near Reno burned more than 15,000 acres, while Washington faced several significant fires at once. The Old Trails, Autumn Lane, and Fairview fires alone burned more than 10,000 acres.

As of September 22, more than 56,000 wildfires have burned over 8.5 million acres across the United States, which is almost twice the acreage burned at the same point in 2025. But what stands out most is how those numbers compare to the 10-year average: fire activity has reached 125% of the average number of fires and 146% of the average acreage burned by this point in the year.

CAT events are changing rapidly. Hurricanes aren't going anywhere, but fires have become another major CAT restorers need to prepare for. Fires have become another "hurricane" for our line of work. One major fire can impact entire communities, displace thousands of people, mobilize restoration companies, and create months, or even years, of recovery work.

That's why we're dedicating the entire month of October to Preparing to Respond: Fire. This is a month-long series focus on fire restoration that coincides with October's national focus on fire prevention and preparedness. Fire prevention week is October 4 – 10, 2026. 

Fire restoration is continuing to evolve, too. From wildland-urban interface (WUI) fires to structural fires, lithium-ion battery fires, protein fires, and contamination challenges, restorers need the knowledge, training, and systems to respond.

Throughout the month, we'll bring together restorers, firefighters, technical experts, and other industry professionals. We'll cover different types of fires, safety, contents, smoke and soot, emerging risks, documentation, and what restorers should know before their next fire job.

Preparing Before the Call Comes

If there is one message behind this entire month, it's preparation. 

The middle of a fire loss isn't the time to start figuring out your processes, training, safety protocols, documentation, equipment, or response strategy. We're asking questions, sharing lessons, challenging assumptions, and bring together perspectives from across the industry.

We want you to take something from this month that helps you and your team prepare for your next fire loss. Because when the call comes in, preparation matters.