High Winds Lead to Ventura County Fires, SoCal in High Alert – Property Damage Attorneys and Fire Injury Attorneys

The Mountain Fire is one of two fires that ignited due to the extreme wind event mentioned above. The fire has resulted in evacuation orders and has left fire authorities with the task of rescuing residents of the affected communities from fast-moving flames. These fires have already caused injuries and have burned down several homes in Camarillo Heights. Many other homes are threatened by the flames. Because of the high winds, airplanes cannot be used to drop retardant on the fire. Since the fire hopped the 118 Freeway towards Camarillo Heights, the freeway was shit down between Oxnard and Camarillo. The Mountain Fire quickly burned over 10,500 acres and continues to grow.

The Malibu fire, in L.A. County, started in the morning and spread to 50-acres. It has burned one structure so far.

To reduce risk to communities with high-risk equipment (high risk to spark a wildfire), Southern California Edison started shutting off power to customers in high-risk areas. Currently, over 65,000 utility customers do not have power due to the “heightened wildfire risk,” according to SCE. Another 254,000 customers may lose power as a result of safety shutoffs in the coming days.

In general, yes, those affected by wildfires could have grounds to file lawsuits. If the fire ignited because of the negligent actions of an entity (such as a utility company with faulty equipment or that failed to shut off equipment to reduce risks), then the entity could be liable and could be sued by affected individuals. Although utility companies have been to blame for many wildfires in the past, they are not the cause of every wildfire.

Some wildfires simply spark and spread because of the extreme weather conditions facing the region. Even then, affected parties could have the right to file claims with their insurance companies (given that they have fire coverage). In cases where the insurance company is unfairly denying valid claims or exercising bad faith, affected parties could actually pursue separate claims against the insurance company for bad faith.

We understand that it could be difficult to determine whether you could file a lawsuit for injuries or property damage resulting from wildfire. To ensure that you have a thorough understanding of the legal options available to you, please do not hesitate to reach out to our legal team as soon as possible.

Although every situation is different, some of the different categories of compensation that could be available for recovery could include the following:

• Medical costs (including for burn injuries, smoke inhalation injuries, and more)
• Lost earnings
• Pain and suffering
• Property damage
• Legal costs
• And more

Here at our law firm, our expert legal team is fully committed to fighting for your rights and helping you recover the maximum payout available for your claim. Whether you are pursuing a claim against a negligent utility company, your insurance company, or any other party/entity, you can trust that our team is ready to go above it all to protect your rights and get you the recovery that you are owed.

If you sustained injuries or suffered property damage as a result of a wildfire, it is important that you explore the legal options available to you. Based on the details surrounding your specific situation, you could be entitled to pursue a claim and recover compensation. In fact, you could even have grounds to participate in a class action lawsuit. For more information about the legal options available to you, please do not hesitate to reach out to the team here at the Downtown L.A. Law Group as soon as possible. Our team of fire injury lawyers and fire property damage are ready to guide you every step of the way.

Free Case Review: whether you are looking to begin your claim or continue your claim after starting it elsewhere, our team can help you completely free of charge. We offer free consultations, which include free second opinions as well. Our experts will be available to answer all your questions and address all your concerns. To schedule a free case evaluation, contact us today.

Zero-Fee Guarantee: you will never be required to pay any upfront legal costs for any of our legal services. In addition, our firm works on contingency, so you will not be required to pay anything if your lawsuit is not successful. If you do not win, you will not be responsible for paying anything at all.

For more information about how our team can help you, contact us today.