Statement from Candysse Miller, executive director, Insurance Information Network of California:

Our surveys of the insurance industry have confirmed a total of 1,760 claims filed from the Southern California firestorms as of 2 p.m. today.

We are hearing reports of up to 1,100 homes claimed by the Southern California firestorms.  At 2,900 homes lost and $1.7 billion in insurance claims paid, the Oakland Hills fire remains at this point the most destructive single brushfire in California history.

Using historical data as guideposts, we know that the current fires will exceed those of the Laguna and the Topanga-Malibu areas of 1993. In Laguna, 441 structures were lost, resulting in $350 million in insured losses; in Topanga-Malibu, 323 structures were destroyed, resulting in $375 million in insurance losses.

We're not yet done with these very unpredictable fires, which will clearly cost hundreds of millions of dollars, and are likely to reach at least $500 million in insured losses.

It is important to remember that the insurance industry has confronted catastrophic fires before, and while the current firestorms are clearly of historic magnitude, the industry not only has the ability to pay these claims, but also is already writing checks to fire victims.