The January 2025 Southern California wildfires, as of January 28, 2025, have burned about 57,528 acres of land, killed 28 at least people, injured at least 22 people, caused at least 31 people to go missing, destroyed or damaged at least 17,711 structures, and caused 205,000 people to be evacuated, according to Wikipedia.
You may be wondering, “are cars structures?” Wildfires, when they occur, can destroy structures. They can also destroy cars, which can catch on fire due to having a fuel tank. When authorities estimate fire damage, they give official counts of how many structures have been damaged or destroyed. You may be wondering if cars count towards these counts.
Read on to learn more about if cars count as structures in terms official counts of structures damaged or destroyed in the devastating Los Angeles wildfires such as the Palisades Fire, or the Hurst or Eaton fires.
Call us today for a free consultation if you or a loved one has suffered losses, been injured or killed, or have had to evacuate due to the Eaton or Hurst fires in the Los Angeles area. Our experienced team of fire lawyers has recovered over $1 billion for fire victims and won’t charge a fee to represent you until and unless we recover money for you.
Wildfire ‘Structures’ Defined
Structures which typically count as structures in wildfire damage estimates include not just homes but apartments, business buildings, sheds, garages, and more. They may even include a pool house.
Depending on who is measuring damage and providing an initial estimate, cars may also be included as structures, although it is typical that they are not counted.
Are Cars ‘Structures’ in LA Wildfires?
The reason that cars are sometimes counted as being structures when estimating wildfire damage is because the burned out shape of a car can be difficult to tell from a shed when looking at an overhead view. Because of this, vehicles may be included in counts of damaged structures, as officials do this to be conservative.
According to the Palisades Fire’s unified incident command, infrared imaging may be used to estimate damage, but when using this, it can be difficult to conclusively determine the difference between a burned-out car or a shed.
Officials, however, may exclude burned-out shaped which are clearly in driveways or along roads without homes. Burned out vehicles as a result of things like highway vehicle fires will not be counted as structures.
How Many Structures Have Been Destroyed by LA Fires?
After officials examined data, over 17,000 structures have been counted as burned as of January 28, 2025. However, because measurements are being taken by overhead infrared imaging, these numbers might not be exact, or could be higher than the amount of structures actually lost.
There are currently numerous teams examining damage at ground level. These teams will end up conclusively determining the total number of structures which were destroyed before they reach a final count. The final count will not include vehicles.
What To Do If You Were Impacted By LA Wildfires
If you have been impacted by the Los Angeles wildfires, you should:
Ensure Your Safety
Your top priority is to make sure that you and your family are safe. Evacuate if you are in a mandatory evacuation zone. If you are in an evacuation warning zone, be prepared to evacuate immediately if need be.
Document Damage
Document all damage to your home or property – take photos. Document any estimates for the cost to repair or replace your property. Document all financial losses which were the result of the wildfire, including evacuation costs, business losses, etc.
Contact Your Insurance
Contact your insurance company and let them know about any damage you have suffered as a result of the wildfire.
Call a Lawyer
Our law firm believes the Eaton and Hurst fires were the result of electrical failure. This means that if you have suffered losses, injury or evacuation costs due to these fires, we can help you recover financial compensation from Southern California Edison. Call us today for a free consultation so we can help you recover financial compensation for any wildfire-related losses which your insurance will not cover.
Contact an LA Wildfire Attorney Today
Call us today for a free case evaluation if you or a loved one has suffered losses, injury, death or evacuation costs due to the Hurst or Eaton fires. We can help you recover compensation for all losses not covered by your insurance.
Our legal teams have represented thousands of California wildfire victims since 2017, having recovered over $1 billion on behalf of wildfire victims. We have successfully represented victims of countless wildfires, including the Thomas, Woolsey, Camp and Dixie fires. Our vast experience in helping California wildfire victims will allow us to recover the most compensation possible for you from Southern California Edison.
Our California wildfire attorneys operate on a contingency fee basis. What this means is that we will not charge any fee to handle your wildfire claim until and unless we recover financial compensation for you. Our only fee will be a percentage of whatever money we recover for you in your wildfire case. No upfront fee or out-of-pocket fee will be charged for us to handle your Eaton or Hurst fire case.
Call us today for a free consultation. There is no risk behind calling us since we won’t charge a fee unless we win your case. Call us today.
