{"id":904395,"date":"2025-05-21T14:21:13","date_gmt":"2025-05-21T20:21:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/?p=904395"},"modified":"2025-05-21T14:21:16","modified_gmt":"2025-05-21T20:21:16","slug":"smoke-damage-where-theres-fire-theres-smoke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/smoke-damage-where-theres-fire-theres-smoke\/","title":{"rendered":"Where There\u2019s Fire, There\u2019s\u00a0Smoke\u00a0\u2026 and Smoke Damage Disputes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Shannon L. Santos and David Simantob | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wilsonelser.com\/shannon-l-santos\/publications\/where-theres-fire-theres-smoke-and-smoke-damage-disputes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Wilson Elser<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In January 2025, dozens of wildfires ripped through Los Angeles in a way no one could have imagined. We all spent the week in front of televisions waiting to see which direction the winds would take the fires. Those not forced to officially evacuate had bags ready to go in case a new fire flared closer to home. And while the City braced for decades of rebuilding efforts, the insurance coverage attorneys waited for the inevitable coverage disputes to begin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The initial response to the wildfires was not likely to generate disputes between the insurers and insureds. According to data from the California Department of Insurance (DOI), as of January 30, 2025, out of 31,210 claims related to the fires, 14,417 were immediately partially paid to the tune of $4.2 billion. Within a week, by February 5, 2025, the number of claims increased to 33,717 with 19,854 partially paid in the amount of&nbsp;<strong>$6.9 billion.<\/strong><sup>1<\/sup><br><br>During this time, insurers were following their modified obligations under the California Regulations given the DOI\u2019s emergency declaration of January 9, 2025, which imposed certain additional obligations on the insurers for a total loss:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The insurer must offer an immediate payment of at least 30% of the contents policy limit up to $250,000 (Cal. Ins. Code \u00a7 10103.7).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>An insured does not need to use the insurer\u2019s inventory form and does not need to itemize the contents (Cal. Ins. Code \u00a7 2061(a)(2)(3)).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>At an insured\u2019s request, the insurer must advance at least four months of additional living expenses (Cal. Ins. Code \u00a7 2061(a)(1)), and the insured is entitled to at least 36 months of ALE coverage (Cal. Ins. Code \u00a7 2060(b)(1)).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Neither an insured nor an insurer can demand appraisal without the other\u2019s consent (Cal. Ins. Code \u00a7 2071).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>An insurer cannot cancel or refuse to renew a residential property policy in a zip code adjacent to a fire perimeter based solely on the wildfire location (Cal. Ins. Code \u00a7 675.1(b)(1)).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The insurer must provide a 60-day grace period for premium payments (Cal. Ins. Code \u00a7 2062).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>While the total-loss claims were not going to spark much controversy, it was only a matter of time before the smoke damage claims ignited and the insurance world incurred an onslaught of coverage disputes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Legal Decisions Regarding Smoke Damage<\/strong><br>The question of whether smoke damage constitutes \u201cproperty damage\u201d is an ongoing issue in California. The matter was litigated heavily during the COVID-19 pandemic where businesses frequently claimed \u201cproperty damage\u201d from the virus. Courts in California generally found that COVID-19, without more, did not constitute \u201cproperty damage.\u201d&nbsp;<em>Another Planet Entertainment, LLC v. Vigilant Ins. Co<\/em>., 15 Cal. 5th 1106, 1117 (2024). In the weeks following the start of the 2025 wildfires, two decisions came down in California addressing coverage for smoke damage arising out of earlier fire events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>On January 10, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issued a decision in\u00a0<em>Bottega LLC v. National Surety Corp<\/em>., 2025 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5666 (N.D. Cal. Jan. 10, 2025). In that case, the owner of a restaurant and a cafe sought business income loss coverage stemming from the 2017 North Bay wildfires, which had prompted a state of emergency.\u00a0<em>Id<\/em>. at *2-3. While the fires did not reach the insured\u2019s businesses, the businesses could not operate because of the related smoke and ash, requiring the employees to clean and make temporary repairs.\u00a0<em>Id<\/em>. at *4. The court recognized that to trigger coverage, \u201cthere must be some\u00a0<em>physicality<\/em>\u00a0to the loss \u2026 of property \u2013 e.g., a physical alteration, physical contamination, or physical destruction.\u201d\u00a0<em>Id.<\/em>\u00a0at *10, quoting\u00a0<em>Inns-by-the-Sea v. California Mut. Ins. Co.<\/em>, 71 Cal. App. 5th 688, 707 (2021) (emphasis in original). The court found there to be \u201cdirect physical loss and damage to\u201d the businesses as \u201c[c]ontamination that seriously impairs or destroys its function may qualify as a direct physical loss.\u201d\u00a0<em>Bottega<\/em>, 2025 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5666 at *10-11. The court stated that, \u201cthe COVID-19 cases [the insurer] cites are unpersuasive because courts distinguished COVID-19 \u2013 a virus that can be disinfected \u2013 from noxious substances and fumes that physically alter property.\u201d<em>\u00a0Id.<\/em>\u00a0at *11-12. Accordingly, the court reasoned, \u201c[w]hereas a virus is more like dust and debris that can be removed through cleaning, [citation] smoke is more like asbestos and gases that physically alter property.\u201d\u00a0<em>Id.<\/em>\u00a0at *12.\u00a0<br>\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A competing decision was issued on February 7, 2025, by the California Court of Appeal in\u00a0<em>Gharibian v. Wawanesa General Ins. Co<\/em>., 108 Cal. App. 5th 730 (2025). There, the insureds\u2019 residence purportedly suffered smoke damage after the 2019 Saddle Ridge wildfire.\u00a0<em>Id<\/em>. at 733. The insurer paid for the insureds to have the home professionally cleaned, but the insureds opted to clean the home themselves and filed a bad faith suit.\u00a0<em>Id.<\/em>\u00a0at 734-735. The Court of Appeal held that, \u201c[u]nder California law, direct physical loss or damage to property requires a distinct, demonstrable, physical alteration to property. The physical alteration need not be visible to the naked eye, nor must it be structural, but it must result in some injury to or impairment of the property as property.\u201d\u00a0<em>Id.\u00a0<\/em>at 738, quoting\u00a0<em>Another Planet Entertainment, LLC v. Vigilant Ins. Co<\/em>., 15 Cal. 5th 1106, 1117 (2024). Relying on COVID-19 cases, the Gharibian court reasoned, \u201c[h]ere there is no evidence of any \u2018direct physical loss to [plaintiffs\u2019] property.\u2019 The wildfire debris did not \u2018alter the property itself in a lasting and persistent manner.\u2019 \u2026 Rather, all evidence indicates that the debris was \u2018easily cleaned or removed from the property.\u2019 \u2026 Such debris does not constitute \u2018direct physical loss to property.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<em>Gharibian<\/em>, 108 Cal. App. 5th at 738 (citations omitted).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>These decisions leave California insurers unclear as to whether smoke damage constitutes \u201cproperty damage\u201d sufficient to trigger coverage under homeowners and commercial policies. In finding coverage, the&nbsp;<em>Bottega<\/em>&nbsp;court said the insured made some undefined \u201cpartial\/temporary repairs\u201d to the property after the nearby wildfire, which may have factored into the ultimate decision that \u201cproperty damage\u201d existed.&nbsp;<em>Bottega<\/em>, 2025 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 5666 at *4. In declining coverage, the&nbsp;<em>Gharibian&nbsp;<\/em>court dealt with a situation where the ash could be wiped from surfaces with no permeating smell of smoke and no referenced repairs.&nbsp;<em>Gharibian<\/em>, 108 Cal. App. 5th at 733. Given this conflicting precedent in California, what are insurers expected to do?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>DOI Guidance<\/strong><br>On March 7, 2025, the DOI provided guidance through Bulletin 2025-7,<sup>2&nbsp;<\/sup>&nbsp;which sets forth the DOI\u2019s \u201cexpectations with regard to how insurance companies process and pay smoke damage claims as a result of wildfires, including the recent Southern California wildfires.\u201d The DOI\u2019s Bulletin explicitly states that the \u201crecent cases do&nbsp;<em>not<\/em>&nbsp;support the position that smoke damage is never covered as a matter of law.\u201d (emphasis in original). The Bulletin reiterates the need for a full investigation into each smoke damage claim and states, \u201c[i]t is not reasonable to deny a smoke damage claim without conducting an appropriate investigation, nor is it reasonable for the insurer to require the insured to incur substantial costs to investigate their own claim.\u201d The DOI advised it would monitor insurers\u2019 responses to such claims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><br>Ultimately, and consistent with the DOI Bulletin, the coverage evaluation will likely turn on a case-by-case basis, looking at the scope of damage to the insured and the physical alteration of the property. Absent the lack of a physical loss, smoke damage is usually not excluded by other provisions in the policy.<sup>3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our best advice? Insurers are encouraged to continue to actively investigate these claims and be diligent throughout the claims handling process. To that end, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.adviseandconsult.net\/experts.php\">insurers should hire experts<\/a> where needed and push for information from the insureds as necessary to complete the claims investigation. Insurers also must be mindful of the growing anti-insurer sentiment in Los Angeles (regardless of the billions already paid on claims). We anticipate the litigation following these latest wildfires will provide new insight on whether <a href=\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/where-there-is-smoke-there-is-denial\/\">smoke damage<\/a> constitutes \u201cproperty damage\u201d to trigger coverage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><sup>1 https:\/\/www.insurance.ca.gov\/01-consumers\/180-climate-change\/Wildfire-Claims-Tracker.cfm.<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><sup>2&nbsp;https:\/\/www.insurance.ca.gov\/0250-insurers\/0300-insurers\/0200-bulletins\/bulletin-notices-commiss-opinion\/upload\/Bulletin-2025-7-Insurance-Coverage-for-Smoke-Damage-and-Guidance-for-Proper-Handling-of-Smoke-Damage-Claims-for-Properties-Located-in-or-near-California-Wildfire-Areas.pdf.<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><sup>3&nbsp;Other jurisdictions have held that smoke damage is not precluded by pollution exclusions.<em>&nbsp;Kent Farms, Inc. v. Zurich Ins. Co<\/em>., 140 Wn. 2d 396, 400 (2000);&nbsp;<em>Allstate Ins. Co. v. Barron,<\/em>&nbsp;269 Conn. 394 (2004).<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>When one of your cases is in need of a construction expert, estimates, insurance appraisal or umpire services in defect or insurance disputes &#8211; please call Advise &amp; Consult, Inc. at 888.684.8305, or email <a href=\"mailto:experts@adviseandconsult.net\">experts@adviseandconsult.net<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Shannon L. Santos and David Simantob | Wilson Elser In January 2025, dozens of wildfires ripped through Los Angeles in a way no one could have imagined. We all spent the week in front of televisions waiting to see which direction the winds would take the fires. Those not forced to officially evacuate had bags&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/smoke-damage-where-theres-fire-theres-smoke\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Where There\u2019s Fire, There\u2019s\u00a0Smoke\u00a0\u2026 and Smoke Damage Disputes<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[10721],"tags":[9895,22,10790],"class_list":["post-904395","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-insurance","tag-advise-consult","tag-insurance","tag-smoke-damage-claim","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Where There\u2019s Fire, There\u2019s\u00a0Smoke\u00a0\u2026 and Smoke Damage Disputes - Advise &amp; 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