According to Cal Fire, Sonoma County’s 36,432-acre, Tubbs Fire was the most destructive wildfire in California history. Officials estimate that the Tubbs Fire destroyed nearly 5,500 structures, the majority of which were homes. Santa Rosa alone lost nearly 3,000 homes, which represents over 5% of Santa Rosa’s homes, including most of the Coffey Park neighborhood. It was also one of the deadliest fires in California history with at least 22 deaths related to the blaze.
Sonoma County’s Tubbs Fire has topped the list of most destructive wildfires in modern California history after officials on Friday blamed it for destroying at least 5,300 of an estimated 8,400 structures leveled in fires across the state. According to officials, all it took was a spark given the weather conditions on Sunday, October 8th, 2017 (dry, hot and wind gusting up to 60 mph). But what caused the spark?
Who is Responsible for The Tubbs Fire?
Although the cause of the Tubbs Fire is still under official investigation by CAL FIRE, our San Francisco law firm believes PG&E, a private utility company providing power to the region is to blame for the spark that took lives, homes, businesses in Santa Rosa and other surrounding areas. Preliminary investigation indicates that the condition of PG&E’s power poles, power lines and/or transformers (negligent maintenance) may be to blame for starting fires that resulted in an estimated 1.2 billion dollars in property loss and the deaths of 22 Northern Californians. CAL FIRE has recently concluded that PG&E is responsible for many of the Wine Country Fires, which further raises our suspicion.
On the night of October 8th, Sonoma County emergency dispatchers received multiple calls from residents reporting fallen power lines and exploding transformers amid high winds (40-60 mph gusts) and sent out at least 10 crews in response to these calls around 9:30 p.m. that night. Before fire crews and local officials knew it, the fires had spread uncontrollably throughout Wine Country. It was in the next 8-10 hours, while many were asleep, that the fires were most deadly as unsuspecting residents were caught without warning. The fortunate were able to flee their homes with little more than the clothes on their back only to find out days later that their homes, and everything they cherished were gone.
DID YOU KNOW: Records indicate that since 1913, 99% of the wildland fires in Sonoma County were started by humans. This was not an act of nature.
This would not be the first time PG&E’s negligence was deemed to be the cause of a deadly and devastating event in Northern California, as the San Bruno pipeline explosion in 2010 resulted in the deaths of 8 people and wiped out an entire Bay Area neighborhood. PG&E ultimately settled the 170 claims it faced from people that had lost loved ones and their homes for $565 million dollars after it was discovered that faulty welding caused the explosion and inadequate maintenance of the pipeline allowed the hazard to go undiscovered for years. Should PG&E’s negligence be to blame for the Tubbs Fire and other Wine County Fires, as our attorneys suspect, PG&E will be responsible for compensating fire victims for their losses beyond any claims that would be covered by a victims’ homeowners insurance.
We Are Filing Lawsuits Against PG&E on Behalf Of Tubbs Fire Victims
We are experienced San Francisco wildfire lawyers and are currently representing victims of the Tubbs Fire in their claims against PG&E. Damages include wrongful death of loved ones, personal property loss, including destroyed homes, and severe emotional damages related to these losses. We have a history of successfully litigating suits against PG&E and have represented numerous Northern CA fire victims in the past, including recent Valley Fire victims in their claims for damages. Our attorneys are currently working with state and local authorities to establish the cause of these fires from a legal perspective and are preparing to file lawsuits against PG&E for causing the Tubbs Fire and taking homes, businesses and lives.
According to recent regulatory filings, insurers for PG&E have already earmarked $800M for potential exposure to these lawsuits, so do not wait to protect your financial interests and secure your claim.
We are representing all of our clients on a contingency fee basis, which means we are only paid if we win your case against PG&E. We invite you to contact us for a free consultation at (415) 345-4282 to discuss your claim or fill out the form below. We would be pleased to have you visit us in our San Francisco office, or if you prefer, we are able to handle all the information and paperwork over the phone and email.