How Utility Equipment Starts Wildfires in Arizona
Some of the most destructive wildfires have been traced to utility equipment. Understanding how these fires start helps explain when a utility can be held responsible — and why a careful investigation of the ignition is so important.
Common ways utility fires start
Wildfires linked to utilities often trace to power lines downed by wind or trees, failed or aging equipment that arced or sparked, conductors slapping together, and vegetation that was not properly cleared from lines. A failure to de-energize lines in dangerous fire conditions can also be a factor.
Investigating the ignition
How a fire started is established through the physical evidence at the ignition point, the utility's equipment and maintenance records, weather and inspection data, and official investigations. This work, with fire-cause experts, is central to a claim.
How we help
We investigate the ignition with experts, obtain the utility's records, and establish how the fire started. The review is free and confidential. Se habla español.
Frequently asked questions
How do you prove a utility started the fire?
Through the physical evidence at the ignition point, the utility's equipment and maintenance records, weather and inspection data, and official investigations, analyzed by fire-cause experts. That investigation is central to a utility wildfire claim.
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.
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