The key facts

  • About 22,500 insurance claims, damage up to 563 million euros ($634 million)
  • Nearly 100,000 hectares of forest burned — a record in 20 years of observations
  • 56% of home insurance claims already settled, 71% of claims compensated fully or partially

Scale of the damage

Forest fires that swept across France this summer led to approximately 22,500 insurance claims, and insurers' total losses are estimated at up to 563 million euros ($634 million). The insurers' federation France Assureurs released these figures on Friday. The summer of 2026 became the hottest in the country's history: heatwaves, drought and mass fires followed one after another. The southwestern regions of Gironde and Landes were hit hardest, as well as the southeastern Var, where the fire spread rapidly in parched conditions.

Record burn area

According to figures cited by AFP, nearly 100,000 hectares of forest burned in France — the highest figure in 20 years of satellite monitoring. The largest fire occurred in the department of Gironde, where 42,000 hectares burned in mid-July — a record since 1949. The commune of Les Portes was hit hardest, with about 180 houses destroyed there.

Compensation for victims

The head of France Assureurs, Florence Lustman, noted the 'human tragedies' behind the figures and expressed the industry's solidarity. According to her, insurers are doing everything possible so that payments are made 'as quickly as possible,' and the exceptionally high share of settled claims two months after the disaster reflects this commitment. According to the federation, 56% of home insurance claims have already been settled. Overall, 71% of claims have been compensated fully or partially, and in cases where the damage exceeded 150,000 euros, this figure reaches 93%.

Comparison with 2022

The damage from this summer's fires significantly exceeds the consequences of the forest fires of summer 2022. From the beginning of June to the end of September that year, about 2,000 claims were filed for a total amount of 80 million euros.