Wildfire Homeowners & Property Loss Claims in Arizona
For many wildfire victims, the greatest loss is the home and everything in it. When utility equipment caused the fire, you may be able to recover the value of your property, belongings, and displacement from the utility — often beyond what your own insurance provides.
The full property picture
A property claim can include the destroyed or damaged home, personal belongings and contents, landscaping and structures, the cost of temporary housing and displacement, and losses your own insurance did not fully cover. Documenting all of it is a core part of the case.
Property may not require proven negligence
In some states, a utility can be held liable for wildfire property damage even without proof of negligence, under doctrines that hold it responsible for damage its infrastructure caused. This can make a property claim especially strong.
How we help
We document the full property, contents, and displacement loss, pursue the utility, and coordinate with any insurance recovery. The review is free and confidential. Se habla español.
Frequently asked questions
My insurance did not cover everything I lost. Can the utility make up the difference?
Often a claim against the utility can seek losses beyond your policy limits, including underinsured property, full contents, and displacement. In some states property damage can be recovered from a utility even without proven negligence.
Arizona law — what people ask
How long do I have to file an injury claim in Arizona?
Generally two years. But if a public entity is involved you must serve a formal notice of claim within 180 days and file suit within one year — and Arizona runs a much shorter one-year clock on dog-bite strict-liability claims specifically.
Can I still recover if I was partly at fault in Arizona?
Yes. Arizona applies pure comparative negligence, so fault reduces your recovery rather than ending the claim, and there is no percentage at which it cuts off. Arizona also treats fault questions as belonging to the jury rather than being resolved beforehand.
Does Arizona cap what I can recover?
No — and this sets Arizona apart from most states. Its constitution prohibits laws limiting damages for injury or death, and that applies to medical-malpractice claims too, where most states impose a cap. If you have read that pain and suffering is capped, that is not Arizona law.
What if more than one party was responsible?
Arizona generally applies several liability, so each responsible party answers for its own share rather than the whole judgment. That makes identifying every responsible party early a practical question about what is actually collectible.
The driver who hit me had no insurance. What now?
Your own uninsured or underinsured coverage is the usual route. Arizona also requires insurers to offer that coverage in writing — so if you were told your policy carries none, the underwriting file is worth checking before that answer is accepted.
Will the jury hear that my health insurance paid my bills?
Usually not — Arizona generally follows the collateral source rule. Medical-negligence cases are the statutory exception, where that evidence has been made admissible, which changes how medical damages are presented in those claims specifically.
Injury law in Arizona
Arizona injury law has some features that set it apart from its neighbors.
- Filing deadline: Arizona generally gives you two years from the injury to file, but only 180 days to serve a notice of claim on a public entity.
- Fault: Arizona follows pure comparative negligence — being partly, or even mostly, at fault reduces your recovery but does not bar it.
- Damage caps: Arizona is unusual: its constitution prohibits caps on injury or death damages, so a statutory cap does not limit what you can recover.
- Multiple defendants: Arizona generally applies several (not joint) liability, so each responsible party is accountable for its own share.
California injury law
This is general information about Arizona injury law, not legal advice. Every case is different.
Did a utility-caused wildfire harm your family?
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