Status of California Wildfires
Even by the standards of the past two historic wildfire seasons, November 2018 has been a very, very bad month for Golden State residents up and down the length of California. The wildfires currently raging across California have killed over 60 people, driven hundreds of thousands from their homes, and destroyed thousands of homes across the state. The Camp Fire in Northern California has become the most deadly and destructive wildfire in California history while Los Angeles has been directly and severely affected by the Woolsey Fire and the newly developing Sierra Fire, which have caused the evacuations of hundreds of thousands of people and the destruction of hundreds of thousands of acres, including protected federal parkland, and hundreds of buildings, including the beachfront mansions of a number of Hollywood celebrities.
The blazes in California currently are raging in two primary places: the Camp Fire in Northern California centered around the town of Paradise and multiple wildfires in Southern California in the general area of Los Angeles. Over 60 people have died and more than 600 were still missing as of the last reports in the Camp Fire from a town that was previously populated by over 27,000 residents. Authorities are now conduct a house to house search given that more than 600 people are still unaccounted for in the Paradise area.
The Woolsey and Sierra Fires: California’s Historic Wildfires Hit Southern California In Earnest
The 2018 wildfire season has particularly hit home for Southern California as the region has been directly hit in a way that the past two fire seasons had spared the area from. The Woolsey and Sierra Fires, and in particular the Woolsey Fire, has devastated large portions of Los Angeles, Ventura and San Bernardino Counties. According to the most recent reports, the Woolsey Fire has killed three people, burned more than 98,000 acres, destroyed than 600 structures and driven more than 200,000 people from their homes, including a number of celebrities whose Malibu beachfront homes were destroyed. More than …” of the Woolsey Fire has now been contained. As of the latest reports, over 80 percent of the land in the Santa Monica Mountains federal parkland had been consumed by the blaze. The lands consumed in the mountains included a ranch formerly owned by President Ronald Reagan. U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke recently recently toured the affected areas along with California Governor Jerry Brown. Fundraising efforts to raise money for the victims of the fires, including a telethon organized by a number of celebrities, has passed $1,000,000 in donations.
The Sierra Fire is a fairly new fire that just broke out in the past several days in the Fontana area approximately 50 miles east of Los Angeles in San Bernardino County. Although it has only consumed 150 acres at last count, the Sierra Fire is still concerning given the way that wildfires can quickly get out of control in the dry conditions that are California’s new normal. This is particularly true given that the Woolsey and Camp Fires have drained the area of its first responder manpower, which means that a sudden spread of the Sierra Fire could prove devastating. Indeed, another report on the Sierra Fire noted one reason the fire had spread as quickly as it has so far is that the area’s strong Santa Ana winds had made fighting the fire particularly difficult.
Contact JT Legal Group if You Have Been Affected by a Wildfire in California
If you are a property owner in Los Angeles, San Bernardino or Ventura Counties who has been affected by the Woolsey or Sierra Fires or any other wildfire, it is in your best interest to retain an experienced wildfire insurance claim attorney as soon as possible so that you can start the process of recovering from the losses you suffered as a result of the wildfires. We understand that you may have many questions regarding the fire, the claim, and how the process works, so our team provides you with a no cost consultation to go over all your options. We have helped thousands of homeowners who have been negatively affected by wildfires with their property damage insurance claims over the years. Contact our firm our firm today for help in dealing with your wildfire insurance claim today.
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