State Farm, the largest home insurer in California, is asking for an emergency rate hike from state regulators as it warns that multibillion-dollar payouts from the Los Angeles wildfires threaten its balance sheet and the broader insurance market.

Citing what it calls a potentially “dire situation,” State Farm asked California for permission to hike insurance rates by an average of 22%.

California's largest private insurer, State Farm, on Monday urged the state's insurance regulator to approve an emergency hike in rates to help offset the hefty payouts the company is making after devastating wildfires in Los Angeles last month.