In the wake of the Los Angeles County wildfires, California insurance companies have been urged to waive requirements that policyholders in the burn zones list 100 percent of their personal property on claims.

The call for “swift action” came from state Insurance Commissioner Ricard Lara on Feb. 6, a month after the devastating blazes.

“It is inhumane to require wildfire survivors who have lost everything to list every item of personal property in order to receive the full replacement cost under their policies—they need to focus on the larger task of rebuilding their lives,” Lara wrote in a statement Thursday.

The insurance department acknowledged that some insurers have gone beyond legal requirements to support policyholders by providing from 75 percent to 100 percent of content coverage without requiring them to list all property.

Policyholders can still recover the full value of their destroyed property by completing a full inventory in the future, according to Lara’s office.

The commissioner’s notice asks insurance companies to respond to the department by Feb. 28 about their compliance with his request.

The notice builds on Lara’s bulletin issued on Jan. 23, which reminded insurance companies about important consumer protections under state law that mandate a certain advance payment if an emergency declaration is made by the state and the property has suffered a total loss.

Current state law requires insurance companies to provide advanced funds to policyholders for replacing personal property or contents, amounting to no less than 30 percent of the policy’s dwelling limit, up to $250,000, without requiring an itemized claim from the owners who lost everything during state emergencies. Insurance companies must inform policyholders of this option up front.

Owners can later recover the full value of their destroyed property, up to their policy limits, by meeting documentation requirements.

The advanced payment law stemmed from the 2018 wildfire season, “the deadliest and most destructive” season on record, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire). Nearly 2 million acres, or 3,ooo square miles, burned that season, with 100 deaths and 24,000 structures destroyed.

Homes burned in the Eaton Fire in Altadena, Calif., on Jan. 25. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

The Palisades and Eaton fires burned more than 14,000 acres, or about 22 square miles, in Pacific Palisades, Altadena, and Pasadena starting Jan. 7. Firefighters have fully contained both blazes.

In all, 29 people were killed and more than 16,000 homes and businesses were destroyed, according to Cal Fire.

Experts at AccuWeather estimate the incidents will become the costliest wildfires in the United States after all properties are repaired or rebuilt. Damage and economic loss could reach more than $250 billion, according to AccuWeather.