Los Angeles Times

Deadly wildfires in Northern California have caused more than $1 billion in insured losses, according to California’s insurance commissioner.

Preliminary loss figures released Thursday by State Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones estimate total insured losses at $1.045 billion.

Those insurers also found that there were 4,177 partial residential losses, 5,449 total residential losses, 601 commercial property losses and more than 3,000 auto losses.

Jones, who released the findings Thursday afternoon in Los Angeles, noted that it will take months to finalize the total insured losses from the fires.

News of the insured losses come as crews continue to gain control of multiple wildfires. Firefighters from around the state are starting to return home while some evacuees are just now digging through what’s left of their neighborhoods.

Most mandatory evacuations throughout the region have been lifted, but about 22,000 people in Sonoma County were still displaced Thursday morning, either because their homes are still at risk or were in a burn zone, said Sonoma County spokesman Scott Alonso.

The fires destroyed at least 5,700 structures, including more than 2,800 homes in the city of Santa Rosa alone. Officials called it the deadliest week in California fire history, with at least 42 confirmed fatalities.

Better weather this week has helped firefighters continue to control flames and prevent further damage.

With cool temperatures and a small dose of rain expected Thursday, the objective in the days to come will be to make sure no spot fires grow out of control and that crews that have been here for nearly two weeks stay vigilant and avoid mishaps, Cal Fire officials said in a morning briefing at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds.

“Just give us your best for a few more days,” Cal fire incident commander Bret Gouvea told firefighters Thursday.

At their peak, the state’s large fires had drawn about 11,000 firefighters into the battle. But with the largest blazes in Sonoma, Napa and Mendocino counties nearing full containment, firefighters have begun to trickle back to their respective states, counties and districts.

The Pocket fire, the smallest but least contained of the active Sonoma County fires, had burned 16,552 acres and was 73 percent contained Thursday morning.

The Nuns fire was 82 percent contained after scorching 54,423 acres, including an offshoot near Oakmont that had worried firefighters earlier this week.

As of Thursday morning, Nuns fire activity was minimal with “some smoldering,” according to a Cal Fire incident report. “All activity confined to the inside of the fire perimeter.”

The Tubbs fire, which leveled swaths of the city of Santa Rosa and was responsible for least 22 deaths, has burned 36,432 acres and was 92 percent contained Thursday morning.

As with the Nuns fire, smoldering in the Tubbs fire was “contained to inside of the fire perimeter,” according to Cal Fire.