Mountain Fire Lawsuit Investigation

The Mountain Fire, which began in Balcom Canyon, spread rapidly and continues to threaten properties in Ventura County. Shortly before the fires began on Wednesday morning, the county issued a warning “Santa Ana Wind Event & the Potential for Public Safety Power Shutoffs” stating that “A Red Flag Warning has been issued starting Wednesday at 4am through Thursday at 6pm for all areas of Ventura County.” Due to the high fire danger, 46 Southern California Edison electrical circuits were being monitored for potential Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS).”

It is unclear whether power had been shut off in the area where the Mountain Fire sparked. Although the cause of the fire remains under investigation, this story mirrors the cause of many other utility caused fires in California where the electrical facilities should have been deenergized due to high wind events, but were not.  The result was deadly and destructive fires that resulted in billions of dollars of damages, for which the utility companies were found liable.

According to CalFIRE, the Mountain Fire was initially reported on November 6, 2024, and is currently 0% contained. It has burned more than 19,000 acres and has burned dozens of structures in the area and continues to threaten some 3,500 structures in suburban neighborhoods, ranches and agricultural areas around Camarillo in Ventura County.

All evacuation orders and warnings remain in place due to the ongoing extreme fire danger. We strongly recommend that you adhere to these warnings and evacuate early so that you can stay safe.

The steps and actions you take in the aftermath of the fire can affect your rights and ability to file claims going forward. Our team works with our clients to detail all losses and gather supporting information and documents that will be necessary to the success of their case. We want to help put survivors in the best position in terms of your legal rights going forward. We can also help navigate wrongful death claims for families who lost loved ones.

If we don’t win, you owe us nothing. We will not charge you legal fees or for any the costs of litigating your case unless you win a recovery.

Our legal team has extensive experience suing utilities for recklessly causing destruction and death.     

To date, we have represented over 6,000 victims and survivors of utility caused fires and explosions in California.  On behalf of these clients, we have secured compensation of almost $2B.  Lead counsel, Dario de Ghetaldi and Amanda Riddle, were integral members of the team that negotiated the $13.5 billion settlement with PG&E during the company’s bankruptcy following the 2015 Butte Fire, 2017 North Bay Fires, and 2018 Camp Fire, which collectively killed over 100 people and destroyed over 30,000 structures in Northern California.