Santa Rosa Wildfire Loss Attorney
Santa Rosa was one of the hardest-hit cities in the recent outbreak of destructive Wine Country Fires. The Tubbs Fire – the largest fire in the 21-conflagration firestorm – struck Santa Rosa, scorching 36,807 acres throughout Napa and Sonoma Counties. The Tubbs Fire has become the most destructive wildfire in California’s history, destroying at least 5,500 structures and taking 22 lives. If you live in Santa Rosa and suffered property damage, personal injuries, or the death of a loved one in the fire, come to Eric Ratinoff Law. Our Santa Rosa wildfire lawyers can help you put the pieces of your life back together after a catastrophic wildfire.
Facts About the Santa Rosa Wildfires
The Tubbs Fire started on October 8th, 2017, around 9:45 p.m. It began off Highway 128 and Bennett Lane in Calistoga and moved rapidly downhill due to unprecedented high winds. As Tubbs Fire barreled south toward Santa Rosa, it ripped through major residential areas. It destroyed around 1,500 homes in the mountains north of Santa Rosa, then hit the city and its surrounding area at full strength. The most damaged areas include:
- Coffey Park. One of Santa Rosa’s most populated areas, Coffey Park lost about 1,500 homes. Officials are calling Coffey Park “Ground Zero” for the Tubbs Fire. Sadly, two Coffey Park citizens didn’t make it out of the neighborhood alive.
- Tubbs Fire destroyed nearly 1,800 structures in Fountaingrove, including a brand new, $4 million firehouse, the Fountaingrove Inn, and a Hilton hotel.
- Larkfield-Wikiup. About 750 structures burned to the ground in the Larkfield-Wikiup area, a section of north Santa Rosa.
News reports state that Santa Rosa lost about 5% of its housing stock – 3,000 homes – in the fire. Many California residents intend to rebuild, but others are finding that gaps in insurance coverage mean they can’t recover the full value of lost homes. Agencies such as Cal Fire are investigating the Tubbs Fire, searching for possible liability for the conflagration that wreaked so much havoc on Santa Rosa. Assigning liability could lead to the potential for further recovery for victims through civil lawsuits.
How Can a Santa Rosa Wildfire Loss Attorney Help?
By now you probably know you should contact your insurance companies to seek coverage for the damage or loss of your vehicle, home, and/or business. What you may not know is how much a wildfire attorney can help during this time. A good lawyer can meet with families the Wine Country Fires affected to discuss legal opportunities. At Eric Ratinoff Law, our attorney can help residents of Santa Rosa assess their losses, file insurance claims, and understand their potential rights to sue if an investigation shows that PG&E or another party caused Tubbs Fire.
Our wildfire loss lawyers understand the extreme extent of the damage the wildfires have caused in Santa Rosa and throughout the North Bay and California. We know residents are dealing with many types of losses, including damage to homes and businesses, loss of personal property, evacuation costs, daily living expenses, lost income, personal injuries, and emotional damages. We also know insurance won’t cover everything. A lawyer can fight for just recovery to compensate victims for uninsured losses. For a free consultation, contact us today.