Eaton Fire Insurance Probe and Indonesia's Smoke Illnesses — September 10, 2026

Today's news is mostly about what smoke leaves behind. In Los Angeles, the question is who pays to test and clean a house that survived a fire but did not come through it clean. In Indonesia, the health ministry put a number on what months of haze are doing to people's lungs.

Los Angeles County investigates Farmers over wildfire claims

Los Angeles County has opened an investigation into how Farmers Insurance Company handled claims from people affected by last year's Eaton and Palisades fires. As the Los Angeles Times reports, the county acted after a growing number of residents complained of delays, denials and underpayments, and its lawyers wrote to Farmers saying that if the company is engaging in any unlawful or unfair business practices, it must stop immediately.

The air-quality piece of this is what is inside the houses that did not burn down. County officials said that at a recent meeting, Eaton fire survivors with Farmers policies described the insurer as slow or resistant to pay for toxin testing by qualified industrial hygienists, leaving residents to pay for it themselves. That testing found many homes carried unsafe levels of lead, asbestos, chromium and other toxic substances. Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents Altadena, said her constituents should not have to walk back into homes with lead and asbestos because an insurance company will not pay for the test that would prove it is there.

Farmers disputes the county's account. "As always, we operate in accordance with applicable laws and regulations," the company said in a statement. "We do not believe the inquiry accurately characterizes our actions or practices and will cooperate through the appropriate process." It said each claim is reviewed individually based on the specific circumstances of the loss and the coverage in the policy.

The Mercury News reports that County Counsel is focused on potential violations of California's Unfair Competition Law, and that survivors also said Farmers declined to cover ongoing living expenses. Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said families whose homes survived but remain damaged or contaminated should not have to choose between returning to an unsafe home and financial devastation.

If your own home came through a nearby fire intact, testing before you settle back in is a reasonable step. Smoke gets into a building whether or not the flames reach it.

Indonesia's respiratory infections more than double in nine days

Indonesia's health ministry said Thursday that respiratory infections tied to wildfire pollution have more than doubled in just over a week. As NBC News reports, cases rose to 113,336 as of September 9, up from 50,891 on September 1, according to figures presented by health ministry spokesperson Widyawati.

More than 12.5 million people across seven provinces have been exposed to the haze. Fires are burning across forest and peatland throughout the archipelago, with the worst of it on Sumatra and Borneo. This is the country's most intense fire season in 11 years, driven by high temperatures and drought, and Indonesia's fire emissions now account for a third of the global total.

The government has sent out nearly a million masks and hundreds of oxygen concentrator units, and deployed thousands of medical workers to affected areas. Japan has sent three CH-47 Chinook helicopters, which began trial flights Thursday and were expected to join water-bombing operations in West Kalimantan on Friday or Saturday. Malaysia, which shares a land border with Indonesia on Borneo, has also offered aerial firefighting help. Singapore and Malaysia have both recorded unhealthy air quality from the haze crossing their borders.

A Nebraska railroad settles a wildfire lawsuit

BNSF Railway has agreed to pay a ranching company $3.75 million to settle a lawsuit over wildfire damage in Nebraska. As the Lincoln Journal Star reports, the fire is believed to have been sparked by a train.

The 9/11 air-quality records, a day before the anniversary

New York City's release of long-withheld records on the air at Ground Zero continued to draw response this week, ahead of the 25th anniversary of the attacks. As CNN reports via WIS10, the more than 170,000 pages of previously undisclosed records include air-quality reports and communications showing city officials repeatedly misled residents about the toxic air, putting those living and working in the area at risk, especially first responders. That air is now believed to be linked to heightened risks of cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease and cancer.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who released the documents after an advocacy group sued the city, said asbestos was found nearly everywhere inspectors tested, and that close to 25 years on, more people have died from 9/11-related illnesses than were killed on the day itself. Lt. James Brosi, president of New York City's Uniformed Fire Officers Association, said what the records showed was that the air was as toxic as responders had said it was, and that the city knew.

Sources

• L.A. County probes Farmers Insurance Company's handling of wildfire claims — Los Angeles Times
• LA County opens investigation into Farmers Insurance handling of wildfire claims — The Mercury News
• Indonesian wildfires cause respiratory infections to double in a week, health ministry says — NBC News
• BNSF Railway settles $3.75M lawsuit for wildfire damage — Lincoln Journal Star
• Newly released 9/11 records reveal officials misled the public about the air quality after the attacks — WIS10

Canairy aggregates publicly reported air-quality and wildfire news and summarizes it in plain English, with links to the original sources. This is educational information, not medical or emergency advice. In a wildfire or air-quality emergency, follow guidance from local authorities.