The entire state of California is always on high alert during wildfire season—especially now that the wildfire season is longer and more destructive than ever. There have been many fires within a short amount of time, some causing more damage than others. The Griffith Park fire ignited concerns throughout the surrounded communities—as the flames burned in hard-to-reach areas that made it difficult for firefighters to work towards putting the fire out. Although many residents of the surrounding areas were fearful for their lives and their properties, the fire did not destroy any structures or claim any lives.
Even if your property was not burned in the fire, it is possible that there is some visible damage—smoke and ash damage. Smoke and ash resulting from nearby fires often cause a number of damages, sometimes even resulting in the total loss of some personal property.
Was your property damaged by the smoke and ash caused by the Griffith Park brush fire near the L.A. Zoo? If your property sustained smoke and ash damage to any extent, you might have grounds to pursue a claim against your insurance company—if you carry homeowners’ or renters’ insurance.
Are you interested in pursuing a smoke and ash damage claim against your insurance company? If so, you must seek legal assistance as soon as possible. After sustaining smoke and ash damage because of the fire near the L.A. Zoo, you should contact our law firm as soon as possible. Normandie Law Firm consists of legal experts ready to help all property owners affected by smoke and ash damage. Our smoke and ash damage claim lawyers have many years of experience handling claims similar to yours and helping those affected to recover the compensation to which they are entitled. If you are interested in speaking with our lawyers and learning more about your right to pursue a smoke and damage claim, do not hesitate to contact our law firm at your earliest convenience; our attorneys are ready to provide you with the legal assistance that you need.
The Damage Caused by Smoke and Ash
Some people associate fires only with burn damage. However, fires create smoke and ash, which could enter and surround your property—causing extensive damage that is expensive (and sometimes impossible) to address. Smoke and ash could result in significant damage to all outdoor areas, personal belongings, ventilation systems, plumbing, water filtration systems, walls, ceilings, and windows, for example.
Is there ash in the filters and pumps for your pool, hot tub, or artificial pond? Are there ashes layering your vents affecting your heating and cooling air systems? Have you found ashes in your closets and other enclosed spaces? Did layers of ash ruin your organic garden? Was your lawn ruined due to the ashes that fell down from the fire? Was your vehicle damaged by the ashes? Was the furniture both inside and outside of your home damaged due to layers of ashes? Are all cloth materials in and around your property damaged by smoke? Are there clear smoke stains on walls, windows, ceilings, and small spaces throughout your home?
Regardless of the specific details of the smoke and ash damage on your property, it is likely that it will cost you or has already cost you a lot of money. Some of your property might not be salvageable and might need to be replaced. However, there is likely that some of your personal property—such as family heirlooms, photographs, possessions with emotional value—will never be able to be replaced.
If you suffered any type of property damage due to smoke and ash caused by the fire affecting the areas surrounding Griffith Park, you should evaluate your options and take action. You are likely eligible to receive some sort of compensation for the smoke and ash damage to your property.
Your Insurance Coverage
Most standard homeowners’ insurance policies offer coverage for damaged caused by fires—including smoke and ash damage. These policies often cover all damages, such as cleaning fees, reimbursement for damaged property, and replacement for damaged property. Your insurance company might even cover the costs of temporary relocation (hotels, motels, etc.). Depending on the type of insurance coverage that you purchased to protect your property, you are likely aware of how you could benefit from filing a claim.
How do you expect the process of filing a claim to go? You likely expect to file your claim and wait a few weeks, at the most, for your claim to be approved and to receive compensation for your damages. If you consistently paid your insurance premiums, you probably assumed that your insurance company would be more than willing to compensate you after filing a property damage claim. However, insurance companies often make it anything but simple to pursue smoke and ash claims and allow claimants to recover the compensation to which they are entitled.
After you file your smoke and ash damage claim against your insurance company, you might encounter at least one of the following:
- Your claim is taking too long to settle without a valid reason or explanation.
- Your claim is taking too long because insurance representatives are always unable to provide you with answers.
- Your claim is valued at an unreasonably low amount.
- Your claim is denied because the damage is not extensive enough based on the insurance company’s standards.
- Your claim is denied because there is not enough supporting evidence for your claim.
- Your claim is denied because the insurance company concluded that the damage was not caused by the reported incident.
- Your claim is denied because the insurance company concluded that the damage was intentional.
- Your claim is denied because the insurance company believes your damage claim is false.
What would you do if your claim is postponed or denied such as depicted by the points mentioned above? Unfortunately, most claimants respond exactly how insurance companies expect them to respond. When their claim is taking to long to settle, they often lose their patience and stop pursuing their claims. When their claims are denied, they often fail to file an appeal or get to the root of the denial. When their claims are approved but with a low offer, they simply accept it because they think that is the only thing that they could receive.
Insurance companies are dedicated to paying little nothing for claims. Every time they approve a claim and compensate an insured party, they lose money—and they want to avoid losing money at all costs. In many cases, to avoid losing money they must deny claims and turn against their clients. In other words, your delayed claim, your denied claim, and or your low claim offer are all attempts at paying you little to nothing for your smoke and ash damage claim.
Is there anything that you could do to prevent your insurance company from taking advantage of your vulnerability? You have the right to file a claim against your insurance company and receive compensation—do not allow your insurance company to prevent you from getting the compensation that you deserve. You must do a number of things to ensure that you can file a claim for your smoke and ash damage.
The Steps Essential for a Successful Smoke and Ash Damage Claim
There are many steps that you should follow to ensure that you have the tools necessary to achieve a successful outcome for your smoke and ash damage claim against your insurance company. These steps are listed below:
- Photograph the smoke and ash damage to your property prior to clean up.
- Gather any photographs that you might have of your property prior to the smoke and ash damage.
- Contact your insurance company to file your property damage claim.
- Document all of your losses and their value.
- Gather proof of the value of your damaged property (through receipt, credit card statements, and bank statements, for example).
- Keep records of all expenses for professional cleanup.
Last, but certainly not least, it is essential that you hire an attorney. Why do you need an attorney for your smoke and ash claim against your insurance company? As previously mentioned, insurance companies are quick to try to prevent their claimants from reaching successful claim outcomes. They postpone the claim process, offer unreasonable amounts, or outright deny the claims—even if your claim is valid. Do you think your insurance company would take advantage of your situation if you had legal representation?
When you hire a competent attorney to handle your property damage claim, you could be certain that the insurance company will never try to take advantage of your situation again. As soon as you hire an attorney, insurance companies begin taking claims more seriously. You can be certain that you will have someone aggressively fighting for your best interests—following up with the insurance company and ensuring that your claim remains a priority. Hiring an attorney to represent you during your smoke and ash damage claim could make the difference between a successful claim and an unsuccessful claim.
Normandie Law Firm
If your property was subject to smoke and ash damage due to the fire in the Griffith Park (L.A. Zoo area), it is essential that you pursue a claim against your insurance company to recover compensation for your damages. If you encountered any difficulties during the legal process, you should seek legal assistance with the knowledgeable smoke and ash damage attorneys at Normandie Law Firm at your earliest convenience. Our attorneys are ready to evaluate your smoke and damage claim and provide you with all the information that you need to file your claim and recover the compensation that you deserve from your insurance company. Our lawyers will not rest until you receive the compensation that you deserve for the damages to your property caused by the wildfire.
If you are interested in discussing your smoke and ash damage claim with our attorneys, do not hesitate to schedule a free consultation or free second opinion. During our free consultations and free second opinions, our smoke and ash damage attorneys will provide you with all the information that you need to pursue your claim against your insurance company. It does not matter if you have already started your claim at another law firm; our attorneys will provide you with all of the information that your incompetent attorney might have neglected to mention.
Whether you are interested in a free consultation or free second opinion, you can be certain that you will never be required to pay legal fees. Our Zero-Fee guarantee ensures that all of our clients can access our legal services without ever having to worry about paying any upfront legal expenses. Our firm is also based on contingency; therefore, you will not be required to pay anything until you win. Do not hesitate to contact our law firm—our attorneys are ready to represent you and help you file a successful smoke and ash damage claim against your insurance company.
