Woolsey Fire

Fire facts (from public records; unknown values are shown, never guessed)

Year	2018
Start date	2018-11-08
Containment date	2018-11-21
Region / counties	Los Angeles, Ventura
Acreage	96,949
Structures destroyed	1,643
Structures damaged	364
Fatalities	3
Cause status	suspected
Cause category	utility equipment
Officially determined arson	No / not determined
Responsible party	None publicly/officially named
Last verified	2026-06-15

Cause

The Woolsey Fire started on November 8, 2018 in Ventura County and burned into Los Angeles County communities including Malibu. Investigations focused on electrical utility equipment near the origin; this entry does not assert a final agency determination of cause.

What happened

The wind-driven fire crossed the Santa Monica Mountains to the coast, prompting the evacuation of much of Malibu and surrounding communities and destroying more than a thousand structures.

Litigation status

Litigation filed. Status as of June 15, 2026, per Southern California Edison.

The Woolsey Fire produced extensive litigation against Southern California Edison, with plaintiffs alleging that utility equipment near the fire’s origin was involved. The cases were coordinated for pretrial handling along with related wildfire matters. This site reports the existence of that litigation on the public record as of the status date; it makes no statement about the outcome or about any individual claimant.

Litigation was filed against the regional electric utility in connection with the Woolsey Fire. This entry reports only the existence of litigation in the public record as of the status date.

Court & regulatory record

Verified court filings for this fire are being added. We publish only documents that resolve to a public source, never a reconstructed or unverified one.

This is a reported public-record status, not advice about any individual's legal situation. Deadlines and eligibility change over time and depend on facts specific to each person — only a licensed attorney can assess yours.