Tenaja Fire – Your Need for a Lawyer

California wildfires are known for being ruthless. When fires are too close to residential areas, evacuations are ordered to prevent loss of lives. In many cases, entire neighborhoods are ravished by the flames. Although the flames are the primary source of property damage in the immediate area of the fire, property damage can extend for miles – even if the flames never came close. More specifically, smoke and ash can cause significant damage to your property. After being allowed to return home after a mandatory evacuation, you might be relieved to find that your property did not sustain any burn damage; however, your property might have sustained significant smoke and ash damage. Although it is obvious that you could pursue an insurance claim if your property sustains burn damage, the right to pursue a claim due to smoke and ash damage is sometimes unclear. If you would like to learn more about your right to file a property damage claim for the damages caused by smoke and ash after a fire, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance as soon as possible. To ensure that you have trustworthy representation, do not hesitate to contact the experts at Downtown L.A. Law Group as soon as possible. Downtown L.A. Law Group is a firm with many years of experience handling many different types of claims – including smoke and ash property damage claims after wildfires – and helping claimants to recover the compensation that they deserve. If you would like our smoke and ash property damage lawyers to evaluate your claim and provide you with the guidance necessary to reach a successful claim outcome, do not hesitate to contact our experts at your earliest convenience.

Find out more about how we can help you. Call (855) 339-8879 to speak with a representative now.

About the Tenaja Fire

The fire was reported shortly before 4:00pm on Wednesday in the La Cresta community near the intersection of Clinton Keith Road and Tenaja Road. Mandatory evacuation orders were implemented for residents of The Trails Circle and Copper Canyon. Unfortunately, the fire grew overnight. As of Thursday morning, the fire had grown to 1,400 acres and had only been 7% contained. More than 500 firefighters are battling the Tenaja Fire – the fire department is also using helicopters and air tankers in attempts to control the flames. Although it is very likely that many homes and other properties will be scorched by the flames, it is also possible for homes and other properties to be significantly damaged by the smoke and ash created and left behind by the fire.

Property Damage Resulting from Smoke and Ash

Many people believe that smoke and ash is irrelevant in regards to property damage. However, that is far from the truth. Smoke and ash have the potential to cause significant damage. Some of the damage that could be caused by smoke and ash could include some of the following:

• Fabrics like carpets, drapes, curtains, rugs, and clothing, for example, can be severely discolored by smoke
• Small spaces like crawl spaces, attics, and drains can be damaged by the buildup of ash
• Air conditioning, heating, and water filtration systems could be damaged by the buildup of ash in vents, ducts, and pumps, for example.
• Drains, pipes, and plumbing, in general, could be affected by the buildup of ash
• Outdoor property, such as windows, lawns, furniture, yards, automobiles, for example, could be severely stained by the smoke and damaged by the ash

Find out more about how we can help you. Call (855) 339-8879 to speak with a representative now.

Upon first glance, the damage created by smoke and ash might seem like something a few hours of cleaning might be able to take care of; however, doing so might be a difficult and very exhausting task. Because of this, smoke and ash damage should always be addressed by professionals – which could be very expensive. Even after professional cleaning, however, some of the property might not be salvageable – Property Owner Liability for Apartment and Commercial Fires Over all, smoke and ash damage and the process of addressing the damage could prove to be a significant financial burden. However, you might have grounds to pursue a smoke and ash property damage claim.

Insurance Coverage and Insurance Claims

To pursue a fire damage insurance claim for smoke and ash damage, it is important that you understand how your insurance coverage works. The typical homeowners’ insurance policy includes coverage for fire damage – which also includes smoke and ash damage. In a perfect scenario, the property owner affected by the smoke and ash damage would contact his or her insurance company to begin the claim process. The insurance company would make the appropriate evaluations and eventually compensate the property owner – within a matter of weeks. Considering that you pay for your insurance policy to ensure that you are covered in the case of an incident, you would expect that the insurance company is ready to cover your damages. However, insurance companies often make it very difficult for claimants – after all, they lose money every time they cover damages. Even if you have valid insurance coverage for your smoke and ash damage, you might encounter a number of difficulties when pursuing your claim. You might encounter some of the following situations:

• The insurance company denied your claim because your property damage was not extensive enough by their standards.
• The insurance company denied your claim because of allegations that the claim was false.
• The insurance company is giving you excuses for the prolonged time to reach a settlement.
• The insurance company is offering an unreasonably low settlement.
• The insurance company outright denied your claim without a valid reason.
• There is never an insurance representative available to answer any of your questions or address any of your concerns.
• You have no information regarding your claim; it seems like it is taking too long to conclude your claim.

For individuals, especially individuals who are dealing with the stress of smoke and ash damage after a fire, filing a claim can be a tedious process. Insurance companies know this. Therefore, they will do everything within their reach to push claimants towards either withdrawing their claims or accepting a denied claim. Many claimants don’t even know that they have the right to appeal a decision made by an insurance company. Insurance companies often resort to tricks to avoid compensating claimants; that is why you need legal representation. When you are appropriately represented, insurance companies are less likely to get away with these tricks that could prevent you and your family from being properly compensated. – Smoke Inhalation Injury Attorney – Compensation for Your Burn Injuries

You Could Be Compensated

With the assistance of a knowledgeable attorney, you could recover compensation for the smoke and ash damage that your property sustained. The specific amount of compensation that you could be eligible to recover will always depend on the details of your claim; however, you could be certain that the smoke and ash property damage lawyers at Downtown L.A. Law Group are ready to fight against your insurance company to ensure that you recover the maximum amount of compensation available for your claim. If you would like to learn more about the compensation that you could be eligible to receive if your smoke and ash property damage claim reaches a successful outcome, do not hesitate to contact our experts immediately.

What Should You Do?

There are a few things that you should do to prepare to file a claim. By far, the most important thing that you should do is to take photos of the smoke and ash damage. All photos must be taken before any cleaning attempts are made. Besides photos of the damage before cleanup, it is also essential for you to take photos of the damage after cleanup – as some of the affected property might be a total loss. It is also important for you to speak with your insurance company without revealing any information that might be used against you or your claim. Without a doubt, it is also essential that you find a lawyer capable of handling your claim.

Contact Our Law Firm to Speak with a Lawyer

With the guidance of our fire damage attorneys, you could file a smoke and ash damage claim and recover the compensation to which you are entitled. If you are ready to discuss your claim with our experts, do not hesitate to contact our firm immediately. The skilled smoke and ash lawyers at Downtown L.A. Law Group are ready to evaluate your claim and provide you with the guidance that you need to pursue a property damage claim against your insurance company. When you contact our firm, you will find that we offer free legal services. Our free legal services include free consultations and free second opinions during which our experts will answer all your questions and address all your concerns – to ensure that you have all the information that you need to start or continue a successful claim. Our free consultations and free second opinions are available as part of our Zero-Fee guarantee which ensures that you will not be required to pay any upfront legal fees for any of our legal services. Because our law firm is also based on a contingency structure, our clients will not be responsible for paying legal fees until after winning their claims. Are you ready to discuss your smoke and ash damage claim with our attorneys? We understand how the Tenaja Fire has affected you and your family – and we want to represent you. Contact us today.

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