More than 80 % of the losses are expected to occur from the Witch Creek fire that merged with the Guejito and Poomacha fires.

More than two dozen fires have burned from Santa Barbara County to San Diego County, the largest of which is the Witch Creek fire in San Diego County that forced the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people from their homes.

The Witch Creek fire was unusual in that it burned beyond historical bounds seen in previous events and into densely populated areas, including Rancho Bernardo, Poway and Rancho Santa Fe, after crossing a likely firebreak at the I-15 interstate freeway.

This week’s catastrophe follows other California losses including outbreaks in 2003, 1993, and 1991. The fire siege in 2003 resulted in losses in excess of $2bn.

Aon said the explosion in the growth of housing greatly affects likely future losses.

The power of the fires has been widely reported but what has not been widely reported is the impact that technology has had on warning, intelligence, evacuation, resilience and subsequent recovery.

Highlights include high flying drones, digital electronic mapping, text message based notification systems and extensive use of GPS guidance for fire crews. Insured losses and certainly los of life would have been much greater without the deployment of these technologies.

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