As the 2018 West Fire swept through Alpine, Calif., a small town in the foothills east of San Diego, firefighters were stationed in front of Emily Ziegler’s house, where she lives with her husband and three children.
The fire claimed dozens of homes in its path, but the family’s house — which includes a garage and a granny flat on more than two acres near Cleveland National Forest — was unscathed.
Securing affordable homeowners’ insurance, however, has become a challenge.
The family’s policy with USAA doubled to $8,000 last year, and when Ms. Ziegler called other insurers in search of a better deal, they all gave her the same advice: Hold on tightly to your existing policy.
“There is a limited number of people who will write insurance in our area, and they will only write it for a limited number of homes,” said Ms. Ziegler, 44, a forensic psychologist.
Persons:
Emily Ziegler’s, Ziegler, ”, “
Organizations:
Fire, Cleveland National
Locations:
Alpine, Calif, San Diego, Cleveland