Californians have filed dozens of Thomas Fire lawsuitsagainst Southern California Edison after the company admitted its equipment contributed to the fire last December and January.

Southern California Edison (SCE) acknowledged in mid-October that people witnessed the fire igniting near power poles in Santa Paula, Calif. As a result, SCE said its electrical equipment appears to be linked to the fire, but the company also said it needs to inspect the equipment to make a final determination. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection removed the equipment as one of the steps in its investigation.

SCE already is facing a minimum of 102 Thomas Fire lawsuits that allege “negligence, inverse condemnation, trespass, private nuisance, and violations of the public utilities and health and safety codes.”

Reasons to File Thomas Fire Lawsuits

Many people who suffered property damage or losses from the Thomas Fire were underinsured, or their insurance didn’t cover landscaping or trees that were destroyed. Even residents who have already settled with their insurance companies could be eligible to receive additional money from SCE.

A homeowner who plans to restore the home and land to the level it was before the fire damage may need an attorney’s help to recover the specific costs to do so. Rare materials or architectural features that made the home unique and more valuable in the first place are costs worth pursuing, say experts.

The removal of damaged landscaping and trees are often not covered by insurance policies at all, and even the cost to replace trees often is limited to the cost of young, immature saplings. If mature trees thrived on property prior to the Thomas Fire, the older trees added to the value of the original property.

Thomas Fire lawsuits seek to hold SCE accountable for the removing of damaged trees and landscaping and the planting of trees and plants that can restore your property as closely as possible to its pre-fire state.

Thomas Fire lawsuits can also help recover damages unique to property. Many farmers and ranchers saw their fences irreparably damaged by the fire. Workers tasked with replacing or repairing miles of fencing can face challenges that include steep climbs that limit the accessibility of needed machinery. When the Thomas Fire burned fencing, it also damaged the soil in many places. Before new fencing can be properly secured, the ground may need to be prepared to hold the new fence posts. These steps all cost money that often is not reimbursed by insurance.

Farmers who lost thousands of acres of crops in the Thomas Fire may also suffer production losses for years because mature trees that were lost may take years to replace. Without their primary source of income, growers need SCE to cover the income losses, in addition to the money needed to replace the mature trees.

SCE could also be held responsible for the damage to personal property. One-of-a-kind artistic creations, collector’s items and family heirlooms may be among the items lost in the Thomas Fire. While there might not be a way to replace the individually created pieces, experts in the required fields often are able to place a monetary value on such losses.

SCE is not the first utility to be held responsible via lawsuit for damage caused by wildfire. Last year, a group of Northern Californians filed a class action lawsuit against PG&E over alleged property losses incurred in the North Bay wildfires.