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Report Says Power Lines to Blame for San Diego Fire
July 11, 2008

It was an investigative report that many people had waited for with anticipation. Lawyers representing homeowners against the San Diego Gas and Electric Company and Sempra Energy, have especially been waiting for further evidence that would prove that the power company's negligence in maintaining the power lines led to the devastating Witch fires. The Witch fires that spread through San Diego County were the most destructive of all the fires that swept through the region last fall. Now, a report by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection has confirmed that "arcing power lines" were responsible for sparking the fire. That's not all. The fires in Guejito and Rice were also blamed on power lines in the report.

For the lawyers who are engaged in representing homeowners against the power companies, the report couldn't have come at a better time. They have long alleged that SDG&E had failed to maintain its power lines properly, resulting in the sparks.

In fall of last year, the Witch fires blazed through San Diego County and together with the Guejito fires burned a total of 200,000 acres, and destroyed a total of 1,141 homes, 239 vehicles and 509 outbuildings. The upscale Rancho Bernardo and Poway neighborhoods were not unaffected by the fire. At least two people were charred to death, while they were trapped in their homes.

Even so, SDG&E Company denied any wrongdoing or negligence on its part in the wrongful death of the two people who died in the fire, or the millions of dollars worth of damages, and the emotional price that the fire wreaked. It claims that the main cause of the fire were the powerful Santa Ana winds that caused the flames to spread. It has also blamed the fire department for being inadequately prepared for the fire, which resulted in the massive damages, and the wrongful death of people who died in the fire.

Strangely enough, the company does not deny that its power lines were to blame for starting the fire. Its position is that no company can completely protect its power lines from sudden sparks. A company statement said that no electrical systems can be "protected 100 percent" from the kind of weather conditions that were prevailing in San Diego County at that time.

Whatever the weather conditions at the time, the fact is that the company was solely responsible for maintaining its power lines and making sure that the negative weather conditions did not result in sparks from its power lines. California is no stranger to sudden bush fires, so there's no way to hide behind ignorance here.

With the report now confirming that their power lines were to blame for the devastating fires that have caused so much misery and destruction, SDG&E Company is looking at hefty compensation to victims of the fires.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of fires. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

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$29 Million Wrongful Death Award in Kings County Fire
July 09, 2008

The families of five people who were killed in a fire that broke out at the Northgate County Apartments in July of last year have been awarded a total settlement of $29 million, said to be one of the largest wrongful death verdicts in Kings County history. The five, a teenage couple and their two-month-old daughter and two more kids, perished in the blaze that gutted a total of nine apartments as it quickly spread from building to building.

The couple, 19-year-old Derik Faubion and Michell Mathison, their two month old daughter, Hayden Allison Faubion, and Michell's step siblings, 4-year-old Lexus May Bisnar and 2-year-old Ariel Nel Bisnar, were sleeping in their second floor apartment. The two siblings were there to spend the night. Faubion and Michell were engaged, and had plans to get married after they had saved enough money.

No one knows for sure what caused the fire, although a bag full of plastics and paper on the patio below their second floor apartment was believed to be the source of the fire. Once it started, however, the fire spread at blazing speed across the rows of buildings, destroying nine apartments in all, and forcing terrified tenants out their apartments. When firefighters arrived, the entire apartment complex was ablaze, and the roof was completely covered in flames. When the couple's apartment door was broken down, firefighters found Michell with the kids, while Derik had fallen to the floor below.

The clincher in the wrongful death case came after a letter was found from Lemoore Real Estate and Property Management, the company that managed the apartment building, to tenants in which it said that many of the apartments had no fire or smoke detectors. The letter was sent to tenants a whole six months before the fire.

On Tuesday, a judge awarded the families of Derik and Michell a sum of $29 million. While Derik's mother and his grandparents will receive $8 million in damages for the loss of their son, Michell's mother and father, who are divorced, and Michelle' stepfather - who is the father of Lexus and Ariel- will receive $21 million.

When the fire broke out, both families who lived nearby rushed to the apartment building, and could do nothing but watch helplessly as the flames consumed their families. The sense of loss the families feel is beyond imagination. In one stroke, they have lost children and grandchildren, effectively erasing their lineage. All these factors no doubt played a part in the judgment.

For Lemoore Real Estate and Property Management to know that there was a potential fire safety breach in the building under its management, and do nothing about, is appalling. They had a full six months to take action, six months to make sure that each apartment in the building was fitted with fire and smoke detectors, six months in which the steps they took could have saved five young lives. Instead, they chose to be negligent and will now have to pay.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of fires. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

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Foam Companies Offer $30 Million Settlement in Nightclub Fire Deaths
May 15, 2008

A number of foam companies that were blamed in the Providence nightclub fire that killed 100 people in 2003 have agreed to pay a total of $30 million to settle lawsuits that were brought by survivors of the fire. This brings the total amount of settlement amount offered to survivors and family members of the accident up to $100 million, including settlements offered by Home Depot, and some fireworks companies.

The fire at the Station nightclub at West Warwick was devastating in its scope, only the fourth deadliest nightclub fire accident in the US. The band Great White was playing as part of the act. As the act progressed, their manager, Daniel Biechele, set off pyrotechnics, cylindrical devices that produce sparks. The nightclub was covered in foam padding, the sort you see on egg crates. When the first sparks hit the padding and set on fire at about 11:10 pm, most people who noticed the sparks thought it was part of the act.

When the sparks began to set the padding on fire on the wall near the drummer, people still assumed that it was part of the act. When people realized that there were in the midst of an out of control fire, panic broke out. Within a couple of minutes, people were crammed in the hallways leading to the front door. The nightclub had 4 emergency exits, but in their panic, most patrons ended up choking the hallways near the entrance. There was a stampede, and people began to stack up on top of each other. And all the while the club was filling up with smoke.

Those who survived estimate that the time it took from the start of the sparks to the point where the thick black smoke had engulfed the club was around 2 minutes. The casualties were horrific, but not surprising. There was simply not enough time to plan a measured response. When it came time to take a head count after the fire accident, the number was 100 deaths and 200 people injured.

There was negligence on the part of everybody who was held responsible for the accident that night. The Station nightclub itself was not equipped with sprinkler systems. Investigations after the fire revealed that fatalities would have been avoided if there had been sprinkler systems. The Station nightclub was an old building and many people believed that the age of the building exempted it from sprinkler system requirements. In fact, this exemption had expired when the nightclub had been converted into one from a restaurant. West Warwick inspectors never even noticed the missing sprinkler systems in a nightclub.

The foam companies sold foam without any fire retardant chemicals that would have prevented the large number of deaths. The foam, as it burned, produced toxic gases that added to the deaths and injuries, the victims' lawsuit stated. Further, the foam companies did not educate the users of the dangers of its products and its non-suitability for nightclubs and other enclosed spaces.

The announcement of this new $30 million settlement will go a long way in compensating survivors for their suffering on that tragic night.

If you have lost a family member or have been injured in a fire, you need the help of an experienced California personal injury lawyer. Contact an attorney at The Reeves Law Group for a free consultation.

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Chemical Fire Injures 12 Firefighters
March 24, 2008

A chemical fire that raged on Sunday afternoon on Claudina Way in Anaheim, California, left large amounts of chemical residue on the streets. Businesses have been closed while a private contracting company attempts to clean up the residue.

The fire apparently broke out at about 4 pm on Sunday next to five chemical tanks near the Alstyle Dyeing and Finishing Company at 500 E Cerritos Avenue. At least one 4000-gallon hydrogen peroxide tank and two 1000-gallon phosphoric acid tanks were involved in the fire. These chemicals are known oxidizers and their presence helped fan the flames helping the fire to spread faster. At least 100 firefighters from all over Orange County were brought in to control the blaze. The fire was brought under control in just under one hour. Damage was said to be restricted to the outside of the 50,000 square foot building, and the damage was limited to the tanks and the loading areas.

While damage was restricted to the immediate vicinity, this could have turned into a major disaster. At least 12 firefighters were injured with mild to moderate injuries in the blaze. They were reports of some firefighters suffering from chemical burns and respiratory irritation. It was not known whether these injuries were caused by the fire or by the chemical that was released in the fire. Hydrogen peroxide is used as a bleaching agent.

There are no confirmations about what caused the fire but initial reports from the Orange County Register did point to a grass fire next to a commercial building that spread and caused the chemical tank to explode. At least one tank of 4000 gallons of hydrogen peroxide was believed to have been ruptured in the blast.

As cleanup operations began, the entire stretch of Anaheim Way from Katella Avenue to Anaheim Boulevard has been closed. At least 20 businesses have been affected while the clean up process is under way.

Hydrogen peroxide is a useful and, to a large extent, safe chemical that is used in many applications in residential and commercial purposes. It is used as a household cleaner, as an antiseptic and has dozens of other uses. But in higher concentrations such as those that have been seen in the chemical fire explosion, hydrogen peroxide can cause fires and explosions. The concentration of hydrogen peroxide in household cleaners or bleaching agents is so small it isn't likely to harm you, but when the concentration is as high as is seen in industrial accidents and fires, the inhalation of these fumes is enough to cause injuries severe enough to warrant hospitalization.

The coming days are sure to give us new clues about the origin of the fire that caused the chemical tank explosion.

If you have been injured in a fire or an explosion, you need the help of an experienced California personal injury attorney. Contact a lawyer at The Reeves Law Group for a free consultation.

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Georgia Sugar Plant had a Prior Explosion
February 19, 2008

When the powerful blast shook the sprawling Imperial Sugar refinery in Savannah, Georgia, the impact was so great, rescue authorities went scurrying to the nearby river to look for victims. In the days following the turbulence and chaos, the death toll was pegged at 9 workers. The number of injured was at least 40 persons. Fourteen of those injured still remain in critical condition with severe burn injuries, while two other workers are also in a serious condition.

Now, a federal investigator has revealed that there was a smaller explosion at the refinery caused by an explosion of sugar dust a few days before the bigger explosion. Sugar dust is tiny particles of sugar powder that have a gunpowder like quality, and can ignite when confined in enclosed spaces. The earlier explosion, the NY Times reports, claimed no victims and no one was injured. The investigation into the blast was carried out by investigators from the US Chemical Safety Board, and investigating officers say it's too early to draw a relationship between that earlier incident and the latest deadly explosion.

There definitely seems to be a connection between the earlier incident and the more catastrophic explosion. Investigators are looking into the accumulation of sugar dust, and how the ignitable dust could have been allowed to accumulate in what were, very obviously, flammable conditions. The plant was connected by pipes and fans that were designed to minimize the risk of explosions by blowing all the sugar dust, and transferring it into special dust collector bins fixed on the roof. A spark in one of these bins was responsible for the earlier explosion, investigators say. A small piece of metal they believe, made its way through into the dust collector, and as soon as a spark was ignited from the metal, the sugar dust exploded. There were ventilation panels in the dust collector that minimized the impact of the explosion.

This dust extraction equipment could be responsible for the more recent explosion, which occurred in a basement where large conveyor belts were used to move sugar from storage silos to a packing area. Sugar dust was found accumulating below the basement.

How is it possible that sugar dust which is a known incendiary substance as powerful as gunpowder when a spark is lit in a enclosed space, was allowed to accumulate in a sugar refinery? How much dust could have accumulated to cause a blast so powerful it gutted 12 percent of the 872,000 square foot plant? Obviously the sugar dust wasn't all getting transferred to the bins on the roof. There is already evidence of sugar dust accumulation underneath the basement where the blast occurred. What was a combustible substance doing underneath a basement? Safety standards seem to have been not just lax, but outright non-existent in this case.

Don't negate the impact of clout in the investigations. Imperial Sugar is not your neighborhood sugar mill. It's the country's largest processor and refiner of sugar. The Texas-based company acquired Savannah Foods and Industries in 1997, and it markets some of the country's leading sugar and sweetener brands.

If you or a loved-one has been injured or killed in an explosion or fire, you need the help of an experienced California personal injury attorney. Contact a lawyer at The Reeves Law Group for a free consultation.

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Orange County Fires Still Burn Fiercely
October 26, 2007

The Santiago brush fire is still burning fiercely in the Santa Ana Mountains. The fire is still threatening nearly 750 homes in the Silverado Canyon area of Orange County and is burning toward Riverside County. The Santiago fire is 30% contained, but its threatening valuable communications equipment on Modjeska Peak. The fire is currently being fought by over a thousand fire fighters, over 100 fire engines and several aircraft.

Orange County Fire Authority officials have determined that the fire was intentionally set in two different locations along the eastern side of Santiago Canyon on Sunday. There is a $250,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the arsonist, including $100,000 offered by Los Angeles radio station KFI-AM 640.

If you or your family has been injured by a fire caused by the negligent or intentional actions of a third party, contact a California personal injury attorney at The Reeves Law Group for a free consultation.

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Anaheim Apartment Fire Displaces Residents
October 08, 2007

An apartment fire blazed across a residential complex in Anaheim, California, destroying apartments and cars and leaving at least 40 families homeless. This is the second major fire in Orange County in the past week. Last Sunday a fire broke out in an apartment in Costa Mesa, California, where a family of nine lived.

According to the Orange County Register, the Anaheim fire is believed to have originated in the carport of the apartment complex at around 3 am. Fire fighters from Anaheim and nearby Fullerton succeeded in dousing the flames about an hour and a half later, but by then the fire had consumed at least 4 apartments and several cars. The heat was so intense that the steel columns that support the building bowed, and rescue workers had to place wooden beams to prevent the building from collapsing. The total damage was estimated at $260,000. The cause of the fire has not yet been identified.

Many of the apartments were home to large families, as many as 8 or 9 in some instances. California law prohibits building laws that place any cap on the number of residents living in an apartment.

For now, displaced residents are being put up in hotels as they come to terms with the loss of all their possessions. The American Red Cross has voiced concerns that a couple of nights in a hotel will hardly be enough to help them recover from the tragedy.

A fire takes barely a second to ignite and can cause massive destruction in mere minutes. Every year, millions of dollars are lost nationwide to fires and explosions. In many cases, a fire occurs as the result of improper safety regulations in buildings and apartment complexes.

If you have been injured or lost a loved one in a fire caused bynegligence or safety code violations, the personal injury lawyers at The Reeves Law Group may be able to help you receive compensation for your losses.

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Fatal Explosion at Mojave Desert Airport Kills 3
July 30, 2007

It was a routine testing procedure for the propellant system of an exciting new space tourism vehicle. But the July 26 scene of events at the remote test site of Scaled Composites LLC at the Mojave Desert Airport near the edge of Kern County resembled anything but a routine procedure. A powerful explosion believed to have been caused by an operating malfunction killed three workers -two of them instantly- and seriously injured three others.

Scaled Composites LLC is spearheaded by the maverick aviation entrepreneur Burt Rutan, and created history in 2004 by launching the first private manned rocket spaceship, the SpaceShip One. Rutan had partnered with British tycoon Richard Branson to build a fleet of commercial space vehicles called SpaceShip 2. The highly secretive project has been underway for a while in a closed-to- the-public hangar.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the explosion occurred during a test of the flow of nitrous oxide through an injector. Nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas and widely used in dentist's offices, is not considered to be a particularly hazardous material. Rutan claims that the chemical was at the required temperature and that the testing procedure did not involve any sort of spark or ignition of the rocket motor.

Meanwhile, the dead have been identified as Eric Dean Blackwell, Charles May, and Todd Ivens. The injured are reported to be in a serious condition with severe burn injuries at the Kern County Medical Center in Bakersfield.

Although Rutan remains tightlipped about his project, investigations are underway and questions about wrongful death are likely to be raised in the coming days.

Attorneys at The Reeves Law Group are highly successful in handling wrongful death cases and ensuring that justice is delivered to victims and their families.

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