FAQ
Have you been affected by the wildfires near Butte County Paradise, California? If you or someone you know was injured or suffered property damage by fires in the Butte Camp Fire area, compensation may be available.
Butte County Paradise “Campfire” Lawsuit
ABC news, CNBC and other media outlets have reported that energy company, PG&E power lines may be at fault for the Butte County or “Camp” Fire near Paradise, California. Victims who lost loved ones, who were injured or suffered property loss or damage have begun filing lawsuits against PG&E.
Victims may be eligible for compensation for home and property and business loss, medical costs, pain and suffering, wrongful death and other costs. Even if insurance will cover some losses, a lawsuit may seek financial compensation which is greater than insurance coverage.
Compensation may be sought for:
- Land value loss
- Loss of trees or vegetation
- Home loss or damage
- Loss of adjacent structures
- Automobile loss
- Personal belongings
- Evacuation costs
- Temporary housing costs
- Commercial building loss
- Loss of business income
- Loss of wages or personal income
- Medical costs
- Emotional trauma
- Disability
- Wrongful death
Butte County Camp Fire
The Butte County or “Camp” wildfire started on November 8 and quickly spread to fully involve thousands of acres, including the town of Paradise, California. Fighting the fire has required 41 water tenders and 17 helicopters, 32 bulldozers, 77 hand crews, and hundreds of firefighters and volunteers.
The fire forced the evacuation of over 52,000 people and is already the deadliest fire in California’s history which has been blamed for at least 81 deaths, resulted in destruction of over 17,000 homes and buildings and burned over 150,000 acres. The death toll is expected to rise as on Nov ember 21, nearly 900 people were still considered “missing” and the fire had not yet been completely contained.
PG&E Wildfire Lawsuit
According to news reports, faulty Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) electric power lines or equipment may have started the for the Butte Camp Fire near Paradise, California. PG&E filed an electric safety incident report, due to a utility transmission line which had experienced an “outage” on the morning of November 8. The same afternoon, damage to a transmission tower was reported near the town of Pulga. Shortly thereafter, visible fires broke out.
This is not the first time PG&E has been blamed for wildfires. In the 2017 fire season, the company has faced allegations for responsibility of at least 16 fires and is being sued for a large number of losses in California Wine country. PG&E had stated that they would turn off the power lines during periods of high wind to prevent sparking which could start fires, but failed to do so on the day of the Camp fire’s origin.
If you or someone you know has been injured or suffered financial loss, compensation may be available.