The wildfires that swept over the Port Hills of Christchurch in February has cost insurers $17.7 million dollars, the Insurance Council of New Zealand reported today.
Two separate fires, several kilometres apart, started on 13 February and by 15 February the fires had combined to one large area. Provisional data released today show that $10.2m was for house and contents, $7.3m was related to business insurance and $165,000 to motor vehicle loss.
“Events like this just underline the importance insurance plays when disaster strikes” said Insurance Council Chief Executive Tim Grafton.
| Port Hills Fire 13-17 February 2017 | Number of claims | $ paid |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic | 130 | 10,235,926 |
| Commercial Material Damage and Business Interruption/Loss of Profits | 28 | 7,309,825 |
| Motor Vehicle | 17 | 165,489 |
| Other | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 175 | $17,711,240 |
