Butte Fire Victims Weigh Options As First Lawsuit Filed Against PG&E
SAN ANDREAS (CBS13) — Many who lost their homes in the Butte Fire say PG&E should pay to rebuild their homes, and a lawsuit filed on Tuesday argues the utility is at fault for the blaze.
The lawsuit claims PG&E and a contractor did not properly mitigate possible fire hazards near power lines, allowing the 70,000 acre blaze to start.
Cal Fire says the cause of the Butte Fire is still under investigation.
Their homes are gone, but their struggles are not.
Now the legal battle for those who lost their homes in the Butte Fire is emerging.
Inside the San Andreas town hall, those who have lost everything sat side by side and listened as lawyers offered to represent them.
"There are stories of lawyers directly soliciting people—that's not what we're doing," said attorney Eric Ratinoff. "We have put information out that we're here, we're happy to help."
Not everyone is convinced.
"This is just advertisement for how they can make a buck on everybody else's loss," said Stacey McBride.
The town hall comes on the same night the first lawsuit in the Butte Fire was filed. Two fire victims are suing PG&E claiming that the utility didn't properly maintain power lines, which they say started the fire.
PG&E issued a response offering condolences and saying it will respond to the lawsuit in the normal legal process.
McBride came to the meeting still overwhelmed by the work ahead after the fire destroyed her home.
"We've lost our computers and everything, and when you go into the center, 'They say go into your computer,'" she said. "The one in my house that burned down?"
Now the survivors who lost the most in the firefight are deciding whether to enter a legal fight.
