The homeowners are a couple who suffered a total loss of their home and property of over 300 acres with numerous oak trees, a large creek, and a seasonal swimming hole.
The wife was a cancer patient recovering at home following surgery when they first learned of the fire on October 8, 2017. The husband smelled smoke and saw fire up the canyon after midnight. He called 911 and CalFire, who told him the fire had been reported and equipment had been sent to the scene to deal with it. The couple went back to bed.
Around 3:30 a.m., the smoke alarm woke the wife, who called for her husband, who discovered smoke inside the house. They tried to locate its source and quickly discovered that a wildfire was raging outside.
With no time to prepare for an evacuation, they hurriedly got into their car in the garage and left the property. Because heavy smoke severely limited visibility, the wife kept the passenger door open to help ensure that her husband, who was driving, stayed on the dirt road and didn’t crash the car.
They fled to their son's house. Later that day, the wife went to her oncology appointment, still smelling like smoke. The following day, the homeowners discovered that their house and property had been destroyed. They stayed at their son's house for two months before they were able to find a rental home.
The devastated homeowners came to Singleton Schreiber for help in getting reimbursed for their losses. With our firm representing them, they succeeded in winning a settlement of $ 7,459,197.56.
