Global broker Willis has teamed up with a UK university to deepen understanding of wildfire risk as disasters in the US and Australia show blazes are becoming more destructive.

The collaboration with the University of East Anglia aims to help the insurance sector understand the risk’s shifting nature, including changes in fire frequency, intensity and geography, and the growing threat of urban conflagrations.

“Wildfires are a growing threat that will worsen as the climate warms, and societies are increasingly feeling the brunt of their impacts worldwide,” university researcher Matthew Jones said.

“It is critical that our research keeps pace with the emerging threat, for example by providing better prediction and warning systems and guiding forest management and fire prevention strategies that best protect society from wildfires.”

Willis, a WTW business, says insured losses from events including Australia’s Black Summer and this year’s Los Angeles blazes, which caused an estimated $US40 billion ($61 billion) of damage, show wildfires are no longer a secondary peril.

“The insurance industry can no longer treat wildfire as a niche peril confined to a few known hotspots,” Willis Research Network weather and climate risks lead Daniel Bannister said.

“We are seeing more frequent, fast-moving fires capable of devastating urban areas and overwhelming response systems.”

WTW Pacific head James Baum says in Australia, insurance affordability and availability are affecting communities most exposed to catastrophes such as bushfires, floods and cyclones.

“By blending available data, local knowledge and research partnership such as this with UEA, we hope tailored risk advisory and insurance solutions can be developed to help companies build clarity and resilience needed to manage the bushfire risk we face in Australia,” he said.