Being trapped in a wildfire is a horrible way to die. Sometimes, there is no one to hold accountable. However, the Butte Camp Fire wasn’t started by natural causes, such as lightning — rather, there is “overwhelming evidence” that the Camp Fire was started by a PG&E equipment breakdown, according to Michael Danko, one of our wildfire wrongful death attorneys.
Northern California Fire Lawyers represent families who have lost loved ones in the Camp Fires, seeking damages from PG&E for their wrongful deaths and destruction of their property located in Paradise, CA.
Our wildfire lawyers have filed a wrongful death complaint on behalf of families who lost two loved ones in the Butte fire. [Click here to read a copy of the complaint.]
Mike Danko, lead Camp fire trial attorney with prior experience litigating against PG&E: “The fire would not have happened but for PG&E’s practice of running its equipment to failure instead of keeping it properly maintained. For PG&E, corporate profits are a higher priority than the lives of its customers.”
Likewise, Butte Fire Lawyer Amanda Riddle said: “This is a horrible tragedy, and one that we firmly believe could have been prevented.”
If your loved one died in the Butte Camp Fire, we may be able to help you hold PG&E accountable. You can contact us to speak, for free, to a WILDFIRE WRONGFUL DEATH LAWYER. Call 530-208-3062, or fill out the contact form. Hablamos Español.
Media outlets are reporting that 85 people are confirmed dead from the Butte Camp Fire, with nearly 300 more people still unaccounted for. It’s unknown how many of the missing persons are still alive and how many were killed by the Camp Fire.
Our deepest condolences go out to bereaved family members who lost a loved one.
Family members with missing loved ones are finding the wait excruciating, the Record Searchlight (RS) reports. They don’t know whether their loved ones are alive or dead, and have a hard time getting answers. According to RS, many people fled the fire without their cell phones. Others may be elderly and don’t have a smartphone, so can’t post on social media to let family members know they’re okay.
Firefighters are working with cadaver dogs to find the bodies of all those who died in the Butte Camp Fire, news outlets are reporting. But many are burned beyond recognition, and coroners are often left with the responsibility of running dental records or genetic testing to identify the dead, NPR reports.
A call from the coroner — that’s a phone call no family member ever wants to receive.
Firefighters and coroners are working as fast as they can to identifying the deceased, reports Mercury News. But with “remains burned beyond recognition and DNA analysis needed to identify them,” Mercury News says, it’s going to be a long time before many family members will find out the grisly news.
Coroners have requested additional help, according to NBC, and have put in a request for more search and rescue workers, two portable morgue units, cadaver dogs, and a rapid DNA analysis system. The Indiana Department of Homeland Security has sent its K9 unit of cadaver dogs to California to help search for bodies in the wreckage, reports the Washington Times Herald on November 28, 2018.
Danko Meredith obtained settlements for 59 people within the blast radius of a PG&E gas line explosion in San Bruno, CA. The explosion killed eight and destroyed 38 homes. PG&E settled the wrongful death and property damage claims for confidential amounts, but announced that it had to pay a $100 million global settlement, which included Danko clients’ claims. The Danko firm has achieved significant recoveries for its clients in a number of wrongful death lawsuits, including a $12 million recovery for family members of a helicopter crew that died in a crash, and $50 million for the wrongful death of a child.
Attorneys from Gibbs Law Group were involved in several wrongful death lawsuits against Fresenius on behalf of dialysis patients who died after taking Fresenius’s drug GranuFlo. Fresenius agreed to a global $250 million settlement to resolve the litigation.
Corey, Luzaich, De Ghetaldi & Riddle achieved a record jury verdict in a wrongful death case against PG&E involving a fatal apartment-complex fire in Santa Rosa, California.
Northern California Fire Lawyers is a team of more than 30 attorneys from a coalition of three Northern California law firms:
✓No Other Firm Has More Experience Suing PG&E.
Our first case against PG&E was nearly 30 years ago. We know PG&E’s playbook and we use that unique knowledge to benefit our clients.
✓We have succeeded in trial against PG&E.
Our lead trial lawyer, Mike Danko, is the only lawyer in Northern California to have taken a case of this type all the way through to trial and verdict against PG&E. Since then, PG&E has offered settlements to our clients in many cases during or just before the start of trial. PG&E knows we are ready, willing and able to take a case to trial, and that approach helps us achieve the best results for our clients.
✓Appointed by judges to lead legal battles against PG&E.
We have been appointed by judges to leadership positions in large-scale cases against PG&E, including the 2017 North Bay Fires cases, the 2015 Butte Fire cases, and the 2010 San Bruno Explosion cases. Judges trust us to represent the best interests of fire & disaster victims.
Our team of Butte Camp Fire Attorneys have been featured and our lawsuit against PG&E has been chronicled in major national and California news publications:
- Mike Danko in San Francisco Chronicle: “At some point there has to be accountability.”
- Amanda Riddle on ABC10: “They were leading people to a false sense of security.”
- Kristine Meredith on Fox40: “What’s so troubling to us [about the fires] is not only does it not change, it gets worse each time.”
- Dario de Ghetaldi in Mercury News: “PG&E needs to stop blowing up and burning down California.”
Suffered losses due to the '18 Butte Camp Fires?
Free consultation with a local wildfire lawyer
Northern California Fire Lawyers is a coalition of prominent Northern California law firms: Corey, Luzaich, de Ghetaldi & Riddle, Danko Meredith, and Gibbs Law Group. Our firms consist of seasoned trial lawyers, leading national personal injury attorneys, and experienced complex litigators. Attorneys on our team have been appointed by California judges to serve in leadership positions in a number of large, coordinated fire and disaster cases. We bring a deep knowledge of the systems and fire-prevention policies of major utility companies and are well-positioned to leverage the hard work from our previous cases to benefit our clients.
Mike Danko
Danko Meredith
Kristine Meredith
Danko Meredith
Amanda Riddle
Corey, Luzaich, de Ghetaldi & Riddle
Dario de Ghetaldi
Corey, Luzaich, de Ghetaldi & Riddle
Brad Bowen
Danko Meredith
Steve Lopez
Gibbs Law Group LLP
Matthew Luzaich
Law Offices of Matthew S. Luzaich
Eric Gibbs
Gibbs Law Group LLP
San Mateo Trial Lawyers Association
Mike Danko
Law360
Eric Gibbs (sole plaintiffs’ lawyer recognized nationwide)
Daily Journal
Eric Gibbs
Kristine Meredith
Finalist, Consumer Attorneys of California
Mike Danko
Finalist, Consumer Attorneys of California
Eric Gibbs
Finalist, Consumer Attorneys of California
Amanda Riddle
Martindale-Hubbell – highest class of attorneys for professional ethics and legal skills
Eric Gibbs
Through our experience representing victims of California fires, we’ve seen first hand how challenging it can be to live through a fire. We plan to hold upcoming community informational meetings concerning potential resources.
We are constantly updating our page with links to resources below: