February 5, 2018 – San Diego, Ca. Since the devastating October 2017 Wine Country wildfires ravaged hundreds of thousands of acres in Napa, Sonoma and other Northern California counties, many people are now asking “How to file a wildfire lawsuit”.
Recent news published on February 3, 2018 from The Press Democrat newspaper indicates that the City of Santa Rosa, which was hard hit from the fires, has started its own investigation into the subject of PG&E lack of proper maintenance on its power lines.
Santa Rosa city fire investigators have determined that the fires ignited in two different neighborhoods were from strong winds causing PG&E power lines to arc and throw sparks causing the dry vegetation to ignite.
Santa Rosa Assistant Fire Marshal Paul Lowenthal issued a statement on the matter: “The winds were definitely a contributing factor to the causes”. He further states: “If we didn’t have the winds, we wouldn’t have had these issues”. The city reports labeled the fires as acts of nature, but investigators have concluded it was the arcing and sparks from the lines owned and operated by PG&E.
PG&E spokeswoman Deanna Contreras chose to not issue a statement, reflecting the number of current lawsuits they face. However she did say this: “What I can tell you at this point is that there has been no determination on the causes of the fires (under investigation by the state) and we remain focused on doing everything we can to help Sonoma County recover and rebuild”.
Somona County Votes to Sue PG&E for fires.
Not only are individuals filing these wildfire lawsuit claims for loss of property and personal loss, now the Sonoma County is suing PG&E for tens of millions of dollars in damages. The move comes after County supervisors met with private lawyers representing more than 100 lawsuits from local victims. They are the first government agency to take on the northern California utility company. Other Wine County counties may follow this move and choose to also sue PG&E.
Who can file a Wildfire lawsuit claim?
The fires impacted hundreds of thousands of business and individuals in Napa, Sonoma, Yuba, Butte, Mendocino and Lake Counties. Each of these regions had fire incidents managed by Cal Fire and other local agencies.
The types of wildfire claims being filed against PG&E include, but not limited to:
- Property damage. Displaced homeowners and business owners whose residence or business was fully or partially impacted by the fires. This includes landscaping, trees, farms, vineyards, ranches, rental property, cars, work vehicles, etc; that may have burned.
- Personal Injury or Deaths. Persons burned or deceased from the wildfires. Victims of smoke inhalation that required hospitalization or medical treatment.
- Personal Property Damage. Loss of personal property including house contents, vehicles, farm equipment etc, as a result of fires. This can include homeowners, business owners and renters.
- Loss of Rental Housing. Includes personal property damage, relocation expenses, hardship, etc.
How to file a Wildfire lawsuit claim? What are the steps?
The lawyers and attorneys at National Injury Attorneys, LLC are investigating and accepting North Bay /Wine Country wildfire lawsuit claims. The first step in filing a wildfire lawsuit claim is to simply pick up the phone and call us toll free at 1-800-214-1010 to begin the process. We also have an online form to start your wildfire lawsuit claim. It cost you nothing to do so.
With these lawsuits we expect large cash claim settlements from the $800 million dollar fund that was recently earmarked by utility company PG&E to cover wildfire victims in Sonoma, Napa and San Francisco Counties. 
These wildfire cash awards could mean more money to the victims than from any home owner’s insurance payouts.
If you or someone you know was affected by any of the North Bay wildfires, please contact us today for a free case review.
What Wine Country Counties can sue PG&E for the wildfires?
The following list includes all Wine County Counties that were affected by the fires; ANYONE in any of these affected counties may proceed with a wildfire lawsuit claim.
Lawsuit claims against PG&E apply in the following counties with fire incident names.
- Sonoma County Fires includes the Tubbs fire, Nuns fire, Atlas fire, Pocket fire.
- Napa County Fires includes the Atlas fire, Nuns fire, Tubbs fire, Patrick fire.
- Mendocino County Fires includes Redwood fire.
- Lake County Fires includes the Sulphur fire.
- Yuba County includes the Cascade fire.
- Butte County includes the Cherokee fire, La Porte fire.
Sources: http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/7945514-181/pge-power-lines-sparked-two
