2015

Amador & Calaveras Counties

Butte Fire

Resolved / settled

Status as of June 15, 2026, per CPUC

70,868acres burned
921structures destroyed
2lives lost

Affected areasMountain RanchMokelumne Hill

Fire facts (from public records; unknown values are shown, never guessed)
Year2015
Start dateUnknown
Containment dateUnknown
Region / countiesAmador, Calaveras
Acreage70,868
Structures destroyed921
Structures damagedUnknown
Fatalities2
Cause statusconfirmed
Cause categorypowerline
Officially determined arsonNo / not determined
Responsible partyPacific Gas and Electric Company
Last verified2026-06-15

Cause

Investigators tied the fire to a tree contacting a utility power line.

Litigation status

Resolved / settled. Status as of June 15, 2026, per CPUC.

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.

Common questions about the Butte Fire

What caused the Butte Fire?

Investigators tied the fire to a tree contacting a utility power line.

Is there litigation over the Butte Fire?

Resolved / settled. Status as of June 15, 2026, per CPUC.

What areas did the Butte Fire affect?

The Butte Fire (Amador & Calaveras Counties) affected communities including Mountain Ranch, Mokelumne Hill.

How large was the Butte Fire?

70,868 acres, 921 structures destroyed, 2 fatalities, per public records as of 2026-06-15.

What you can do next, whatever your fire

Recovery resources

Practical, non-legal steps that help anyone affected by a California wildfire.

First steps after a wildfire →
Insurance claim checklist →
Document your losses →
California recovery resources →

Understand the legal side

Plain-language explainers. General information, not advice about your case.

Can I sue after a wildfire? →
Who is responsible? →
How claim deadlines work →
How wildfire lawsuits work →

Sources

Facts on this page are drawn from the public sources listed above and rewritten in original words. Figures marked AUTO-updatable are refreshed from government incident data; see Sources & Methodology.